The Guardians
by RedneckAngel
Summary: As an angel, Josh is content to stay in solitude. Suddenly, he is faced with an assignment; he must guardian someone...with a long family history of evil. ON HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 – Joshua

I was floating in a vast, comfortable darkness, content to continue floating into forever; but then _**it **_happened. Like a sudden explosion, I saw a brilliant flash, felt the searing pain of being ripped away from my happy solitude. I looked cautiously around myself, realizing that I was naked, but not feeling any unease. I was standing on top of a brilliant white fluffy cloud looking into the eyes of what I can only describe as the most _beautiful_, almost painfully so, man I have ever seen. "Joshua, there is a reason why we have brought you here," the unidentified man began in a melodious deep voice. "I am Samuel," he said kindly, "and you have been awoken to begin your journey. The reason for our existence is for the protection of mortals. Your mortal is just now old enough for you to start the sometimes difficult journey of **her** protection," he put emphasis on **her**, "if she keeps on the same life path as her family has chosen for her, she _**will**_ lose her immortal soul. It is what you have to protect her from." My mind reeled with thoughts of souls and protection and _**her**_, whoever she was…. "When do I start?" I managed to choke out, trying my best to sound confident. "Right now," Samuel replied with a smug smile on his face, "but we should think about getting you set up with an identity, a house, a story, a job, and of course….." he muttered humorously as if noticing my nakedness for the first time, "some clothes." I looked down confused as I suddenly felt warm, soft material enclose me tightly. "How do I find this girl?" I asked all at once worried that I may let Samuel down, "Does she have a name yet?" "Yes," he replied with a glint of a smile in his sparkling eyes, "her name is Winter, which is an American name meaning brooding and deep. Have fun with that one." "Thanks," I grumbled not sure how to take the comment, but in an instant, having all the knowledge of the situation, and that it needed to be handled discretely. "So," I spoke quietly, "I am going to Pennsylvania to _protect_ a witch." "Yes," Samuel answered with in a whisper despite the fact that we were alone, "and we have faith in you." I shook all the fear out of my head and said gratefully, "Thanks. Well, let's get this started." I feel the dread welling up inside me, but knew that I had no other option.

Copyright by Kelly Anne Smith 2008 © All rights reserved.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: This story is my own. I own all rights to this story, as I am the author. I love all of you who have reviewed. Thank you so much, sorry that the chapters are not broken up well, but in essence of time and getting this updated and posted as quickly as possible, it is in its roughest form. Please continue to review.**

Chapter 2 – Winter

I walked up to the principle, embarrassed to no end that all these people were looking at me. I tripped over my long midnight blue graduation gown, almost falling on my face, and heard muffled snickers as the principle rushed to help me up from my already bruising knees. I was such a klutz, I sometimes hated myself for being so accident prone, it seemed that I was the only member of my family who couldn't walk anywhere without having to go get stitches, a cast or an ice pack. Everyone else was so very graceful, and whenever they were near anyone, you could almost _**SEE**_ the, um, well, magic (give me a break, it's the only way I could explain it…) crackle in the air. As I stood up, as straight as my pride and painful knees would allow, Mr. Johnson handed my somewhat crushed diploma to me. I smiled weakly, said thanks, and limped my way off of the stage, almost going headfirst down the stairs. I was surprised when a beautiful man caught my elbow when I lost my balance at the foot of the stairs, his sky blue eyes burning into mine. "Thanks," I managed to croak out. "No problem," he said, his smile dazzling white, "it's my job." That confused me, but in the blink of an eye, he was gone and I was left standing there with my mouth hanging ridiculously open, in awe of the deliciously feathery floral fragrance left lingering in the air. I probably would have stood there for days had I not heard the person behind me clearing his throat in an effort to get me to keep moving. The floral scent made me dizzy, so I grudgingly moved out of the way and sat up against the wall, breathing deeply, my mind only on my beautiful hallucination, and wondering why all the sudden I had the urge to fall again. I was seriously debating at this point in time whether or not I needed to go to the graduation party later that evening. After all, how many catastrophes could I handle in one night?? Nicholas said he would be there, but I don't know, how exciting would it be to get drunk and party the night away with my **brother**? As accident prone as I am, I might drown in the pool trying to avoid the playful punch in the shoulder that my brother was well known for administering. "Well," my mind reasoned, "if you **did** manage to fall into the pool and almost drown, do you think Mr. Hot Mystery Guy would show up?" "Now that is a really stupid reason to try and kill yourself!!" I didn't realize until after I started hearing snickers behind me that I had just fiercely argued about killing myself with myself. "Oh. My. God." I bit out through clenched teeth as I felt every single ounce of my blood collect in my face, " 'S gonna be a long night…."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: This is my story, I am the author, and this is my baby. Please read and review! Thank you so much to elfinchakie, il-bel-mondo, and Leeann Minton for all your reviews and kind words! I love you all so much! You all make me want to do so much better. *Kiss*

Chapter 3 – Joshua

"So, mortals live like **this**?!?!" I grumbled under my breath at the large six bedroom apartment that stood before me, fully furnished. I was starting to miss my warm, dark home, this was not right; the light fixtures were too plentiful and way too bright. "Yes, Joshua, actually they do." Samuel said matter-of-factly over my right shoulder. Startled, I jumped at least seven feet in the air, just missing taking the chandelier out with my extremely hard head. Behind me, Samuel chuckled, "So you have seen your Winter? Isn't she a mess?" "She's alright…" I muttered, remembering how her deep amethyst eyes stirred something deep in my soul when she looked at me after I caught her arm. Thinking of how unnaturally beautiful all of her features were, I felt my muscles tightening up. I lingered on the thoughts of her. I must have stood at least 6feet 4inches tall, so she looked a solid foot shorter than me. Although she was shorter, she was not stocky or unpleasant to look at: Winter had almost printer paper white skin, smooth wavy black hair, amethyst eyes that sparkled when she smiled, a small build with curves in all the right places, she looked more like an angel than I did. I was suddenly aware of Samuel in my mind, listening carefully to my mental reverie and shaking his head gloomily. "Joshua," he warned, "I don't care if she knows what you are, but you needn't fall in love with her. I see the seeds already blooming in your head; it will put you in much more danger if you should fall for her, your emotions will cloud your judgment." " I am much more capable of keeping my self control than you possibly could know, I **AM** an angel, you know." I spoke arrogantly knowing that Samuel would have a fit and possibly reassign me if he knew that I was already getting in over my head with just my mind going into overdrive, not paying attention to what my body was capable of. "Yeah," Samuel said sadly, "I am all too aware of what this type of job can do to an angel such as yourself…." His eyes misted over and suddenly, I was in his mind, and I saw his memories flash through my head, as though they were my own: Meeting a beautiful cinnamon faced woman trapped in the mangle of a crashed suv. Another flash: Supporting her through physical therapy, and kissing her for the first time. My wedding; the overwhelming happiness and love; the birth of our first baby, the second, the third; her death during the third; my desolate pain and tears as I tried to save her, ready to trade my life for hers; my undeniable grief that I couldn't die with her. All I could think through that was, "What on earth am I getting into?"


	4. Chapter 4

Once again, here's my disclaimer; I will do a mass one this time since I am updating with 3 chapters rather than the one. Thank you elfinchakie for your support and lovely words! This is my original work, my baby. I hope you enjoy! 

Chapter 4 – Winter

Never before have I ever worried seriously about what I looked like, but for some reason, tonight, with the thought of my beautiful savior in my head, all of my clothes looked outdated; unflattering even.

I finally settled on a pair of tan shorts, and a violet tank top, trying to accentuate all of my "good" features. Staring into the mirror, I heard a soft cough behind me. I looked over my shoulder and was face to face with my mother.

"Hey," I said guardedly, not wanting her to see how anxious I really was, "What's up?"

"I need to talk to you about something important," she said as quietly as possible, as if embarrassed.

"Oh God," I started, "Mom I already know about sex and condoms and stuff." I felt like I could sink into the carpet around me, so I knew that my face was the color of fresh beets.

Her face flushed (I didn't even know that it was possible) and she looked down at her designer shoes, "Um, that's good to hear, but NOT what I wanted to talk to you about. We are still having your coming of age party later tonight, so please don't be out too late with your friends." She sneered the last word like it was poison.

"I won't," I said softly, wondering at where we were going to have this party. The house I live in has, like, 15 bedrooms, and an unknown amount of other various rooms, none of which I have ever seen, and I have lived in this house since I was born. In the 17 years of my existence, I have only ever seen my bedroom, the den, my bathroom and the kitchen, I had wondered off as a small child and my mother made it **VERY** clear that I was never to go anywhere that they hadn't quartered off for me ever again.

I had sulked in silence for many years about it, but eventually it had not been of enough importance to keep my attention any longer. Seeming to sense my unasked question, my mother added quickly, "Your party will be in the Great Hall, and you will be getting a tour of the rest of this house as part of your present. You will understand it all in a very few short hours."

My head spun with such ferocity that I knew in an instant that I would be sporting some very new and vicious looking bruises if I didn't slump down into the overstuffed easy chair behind me. Darkness threatened my emotional wellbeing as I looked at my mother's carefully guarded expression, and I managed to stifle back a sob.

I hoped and prayed that I could manage to get through this seemingly adolescent party I was about to attend so that my insatiable desire to see this house would in fact be quenched at last.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 – Joshua

Ok, now I must say that as an angel, I have never had to worry about clothing before, you know, being naked and all, but this was the toughest thing I had ever had to endure before.

I was worried that the suit and tie that I was holding in front of me seemed too inappropriate for a teenage party, but I was not quite sure that jeans and a t-shirt were going to be formal enough for a graduation party.

"Sheesh. Why does this have to be the most difficult part of my day?!" I exclaimed to the ceiling, finally deciding on the casual look; nothing in the world was worse than standing out like a sore thumb in front of hundreds of just freed teenagers.

I slipped on the jeans, mentally fussing at Samuel, knowing that he heard me, he was laughing close to hysterically inside of my subconscious.

He had to have picked out women's jeans, I rationalized, they hugged my hips, thighs and butt far too tightly to be men's.

"Joshua, that is the style now," Samuel chuckled again.

Mumbling incoherently, I put on the t-shirt, which of course, was also far too tight. "Oh yeah Sam," I grumbled the name; just from being inside of his head knowing that 'Sam' was an endearing name his late wife called him, "I will be almost invisible in this attire…." I started mumbling again, letting him only catch 'bunch of crap', feeling him flinch internally at 'crap', and getting a really good kick out of making him uncomfortable.

I went into the bathroom, which was gaudy as far as I was concerned, and took a comb through my carefully messy hair.

"Why am I turning into such a _girl_ about this **girl**?" I said aloud while I made sure that there was nothing in my teeth, no blotches on my flawless skin. The reflection that met my frightened eyes were of absolute perfection, and that if I chose, I could have "my Winter", as Sam liked to say, swoon the second that I walked into the door.

The sex symbol thing was kind of new to me, and I tried hard not to feel sick to my stomach…speaking of my stomach, "SAM!!!!" I hollered loudly to the angel I knew was listening.

"Yes, Joshua, what may I do for you?" he echoed lightly inside of my brain. "I know that my human body doesn't really need food, but what do I do if anyone asks me to eat or drink?" I called out, for the first time at odds with the whole situation.

"Smile politely, drink some non alcoholic punch, and wait for her," he said wisely.

I felt stupid for not coming up with that on my own, a testament to the fact that this girl had already started to grow on me, even as I refused to let it happen, knowing that this was all business.

I was the only thing between her and eternal damnation and it worried the hell out of me.


	6. Chapter 6

My disclaimer: this is my story, but the song lyrics are not mine. I believe in giving credit where it is due and the song belongs to *Nsync. The name of the song is "Overjoyed". Enjoy!

Chapter 6 – Winter

I hopped out of my car at the front door of the enormous estate in which the party was already in full swing. You could tell that this was the truth because someone was already puking profusely in the bushes.

I felt small and insignificant in the moment it took me to get one solid breath, just in wondering if Mr. Wonderful would be here. My heart started doing funny laps around my chest and it felt as if my stomach was doing deep sea dives for my feet.

I walked through the foyer feeling fabulously retro; playing in the background was a beautiful melody. It was almost as if someone was listening in on how my heart and head were feeling….the soft words warmed my heart:

Over time, I've been building my castle of love, oh  
Just for two  
Though you never knew you were my reason  
I've gone much too far for you now to say  
That I've got to throw my castle away  
Over dreams  
Over dreams

My thoughts were only of his perfect face as I stared intently at the floor.

I have picked out a perfect come true  
Though you never knew it was of you  
I've been dreaming  
The sandman has come from too far away  
For you to say come back some other day  
And though you don't believe that they do  
They do come true  
For did my dreams  
Come true when I looked at you  
And maybe too, if you would believe  
You too might be

My eyes met my beautiful stranger, coming down the stairs that I was standing at the foot of.

Overjoyed, over loved, over me  
Overjoyed, over loved, over me  
And though the odds say improbable  
What do they know  
For in romance  
All true love needs is a chance  
And maybe with a chance you will find  
You too like I  
Overjoyed, over loved, over you  
Overjoyed, over loved, over me

As the song ended, I looked into his eyes, startled, my heart trip hammering, when I realized that I was standing face to face with him.

"Um," I mumbled, not being able to form any words worth this beautiful man standing in front of me, "Hi, I'm..."

"Winter, yes, I have heard all about you." He said in a way that puzzled me, like he was laughing at a personal joke, "It's a pleasure to meet you Winter, I'm Josh."

I had to look over him over before I could continue our conversation, my eyes starting at his perfect brown hair gently flecked with gold, moving down to his sky blue eyes (I swear that I just saw white puffy clouds cross in front of his pupils!???) he has a very defined jaw line, sexy pouty lips, a strong graceful neck, broad shoulders and chest, (which were accented by a very unfairly fitted t-shirt, I might add) and a set of very muscular legs; I couldn't help smiling appreciatively as I finished my inspection of his heavenly body. When I looked back up to his face, his eyes were crinkled up into a smug smile.

"See anything that interested you?" He asked playfully.

"Not too bad," I had to admit, not being able to stop the smile that threatened to take over my whole face. Well, I had to say something; his grin was starting to tear me apart at the seams.

Another slow ballad started, almost sadly, and I couldn't stop the frown that rapidly replaced the smile that had been frozen on my face for so long.

Apparently, he felt the sadness that tainted my mood, because he reached out with his perfectly tanned fingers and lightly brushed them against my cheekbone. "Hmmm," he mumbled seductively, "so this is what perfect feels like."

All I could do was stare, once again, dumbfounded at him. What in the world just happened here?!?! Did he just say I was perfect?! Can we do that again? My mind reeled through several hundred questions that were never to escape my lips as I just stood there as still as a statue; my loud, speeding heartbeat being the only thing that gave me away.

When I was finally able to shake off the paralysis caused by his one comment, I walked backwards towards the door, feeling the need to escape, to flee in sheer teenage dramatic panic. In what seemed like only a few seconds, I had tripped over my own 2 feet, down the front stairs to the house, right into the path of an oncoming car that was circling the driveway!

One moment, I was staring wide-eyed at the approaching car, the next I am in someone's strong arms, flying in the air! Ignoring what I was told as a child, I looked down, to see everything a very unsafe distance from me as still as I had been before my clumsy exit.

I did the only thing that I could think of to do, seeing as how I was forcing myself NOT to throw up on my hero (?) as a thank you, and looked up.

My mind reeled as I saw his beautiful eyes, and I almost lost it for a few minutes as I tried my hardest to blink back unshed tears. How can anyone or anything be this beautiful?? My mind played with that thought for a while, then it twisted off on another tangent….Why in the hell am I so interested in stupid bubble gum pop music?!?! I do not understand why my brain is going stupid all of the sudden, no other guy in the world has had this effect on me.

"So, um," I muttered, "thanks and all for saving me, but where are we going?" I was starting to get motion sickness and I was trying to get somewhere solid before I was seriously sick.

"Well, now that you mention it, I should really get you somewhere….I'm just not sure where yet." My beautiful man said thoughtfully. With that comment, he gracefully swooped out of the sky into a clearing in what appeared to be a forest of some kind…

"Oh. My. God." I thought sullenly, "We have to be lost in the freaking Blue Mountains. We are at least 50 miles from home!!" Not that I minded being away from home, but I almost missed Periwinkle. Amazing what happens when you are kidnapped by a gorgeous flying man.

In my head, I am replaying every sappy soft rock classic that I have ever heard and I can feel the frustration build up in my core. I am gothic; I listen to metal, what in the crap is wrong with me?!

Just as if I am taking a step on my own, he sets me down on my feet, and for the first time since the whole fiasco at the party, I look at the luminous feathered wings as they fold gently behind his back.

"Okay," I start, "I am not exactly sure what I am seeing, but I am going to try to keep an open mind while **you** explain." The frustration had almost taken over by this point, and I felt like I could cry.

"Well," he seemed thoughtful, "where do you want me to start? My name is Josh, and I guess you can say that I have been 'hired' to protect you. Have you ever heard the old stories of Guardian Angels? I guess you could say that I am yours, all yours. This is kind of uncomfortable for me as well, but you were about to meet your maker, quite literally I might add, back at the party, so I had to do what I could do to save you, right?"

He was babbling now, and my confusion level was almost at boiling point. "Whoa, slow down," I said as cautiously as I could manage, "I have a guardian angel? Where were you when I was 3 and fell down the stairs and broke my leg; or when I was 4 and broke my ankle; or when I was 6 and broke the same leg as when I was 3; or at age 13, that was a fun time for me, I was in a body cast for 6 months!!" I was incredulous by now. "I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around this!"

"That is not quite how this thing works," he said and for the first time he seemed shy, "I was told to come watch you because your immortal soul was in danger. Immortal souls are kind of a big thing where I came from. There is so much that I need to tell you, but with the understanding that all of this is very confidential and it is not something that you need to talk about with anyone other than me, trust me, people will have you committed for talking like this. There is something that is in your immediate future that makes the guys upstairs nervous. You are about to learn some very unsettling news about your family, and your soul is at stake."

Before he could continue, my cell phone rang. I didn't have to look at the screen to know who was calling. The phone was playing my brother's favorite song, a My Chemical Romance tone.

I held up a finger, but I was sure he already knew, "What's up Nicholas?" I spoke quickly into the receiver.

"Mom is pissed; you need to come home now. Where did you go so fast? It was like you were there, then I blinked and you were gone. It is almost 2 in the morning and mom has family here for your party and they are all threatening to leave, so I don't care who you are, um, doing at this point in time, get here NOW!" he was all but screaming at me through the earpiece, "I am serious Winter, mom is not playing…." He trailed off unhappily. "Okay," I replied testily, "I'll be home in 30." "Make it 15," with that he hung up the phone.

I turned to Josh, who I could tell, was trying to look like he hadn't heard my entire conversation, and blushed when our eyes met. "Could you get me home in 15 minutes if we left now?" I asked.

"Yeah, that will not be a problem," he said with a wink, "We need to talk after your party, call for me; all you have to do is say my name and I'll be right there."

I tried to choke down the warm satisfaction that was spreading like wildfire through my heart as he took me in his arms and lifted off from the ground. I felt safer now that I'd done this before, and laid my head down on his chest for the duration of our flight, reveling in his woodsy masculine scent, and trying not to get too comfortable, I bit back the tears that were forming.


	7. Chapter 7

So, new update!! YAY!! Still my story…..all mine, lol. Thanks again to elfinchakie, my new best friend. I love you so much, I shall marry you! ;)

Chapter 7 – Joshua

So yeah; I dropped her off at the corner of her street and let her walk home alone, knowing that I would watch her the whole way.

As I waited, I went through the past five hours, second by second, analyzing every detail when she was in my view. How exquisite she looked when she walked in the door, noting that her tan shorts made her porcelain legs look like they went on for miles, my human body tightening at that thought, the fact that she picked a tank top that perfectly complemented her amethyst eyes, wondering incredulously that she had been able to find that perfect shade at all. The way those same amethyst eyes swept the room in its entirety, pausing at the floor, longing flooding her dazzling face as she heard the song that I willed to play, just for her.

Did she hope to find me there? Of course she had, I thought smugly, I had seen the way other human girls looked at me, I wasn't blind, I knew the I was probably the most handsome man in Periwinkle, Pennsylvania. I am not vain; I guess you could say that I am practical.

Getting my mind back on track, I thought about how she stood in that one spot for an unending minute, sadly melancholy while she let the song wash over her, I could only imagine what was going through her mind.

When her eyes finally met mine, it was all I could do to not come unglued, run down the stairs, kiss her and never let her go.

As much as it pained me to think of how I gravitated to her during that song, my heart rejoiced at her suddenly being so close. She looked pleased to see me even though she stammered over her introduction, so I felt the need to finish it for her; for her comfort, of course.

I was the one left mildly uncomfortable as her eyes roamed my body, from the top of my head to my soles of my running shoes. As she appraised my chest, I felt my breath catch in my throat, suddenly unsure if she would find me as physically appealing as I found her. A half lustful look briefly crossed her eyes at the end of her inspection of me, and for the first time, my human body reacted in ways I could not understand, muscles tightening that I didn't know that I had use for.

I had to break that silence before I was put a place to do ungodly things to that girl, so I asked her if she liked what she saw, what a dumb move on my part; she looked at me in a way I didn't really understand, then I realized that I had been grinning at her like a fool. When she told me that I wasn't too bad to look at, I felt oddly pleased, my heart doing strange things to my emotions, and I loved and wanted to protect her more fiercely than I valued my own physical wellbeing.

The next song played, also sad; who in the name of all things good and holy was picking this party's playlist?! I saw her face fall and an inexplicable sadness fill her; with her sadness, I became sad. I didn't like to see her in any pain, physical or not.

I did the only thing that I could possibly do and fed off of the last turn that our meeting had taken, and against my own better judgment, did what I had yearned to do since I first saw her, and touched her face, my fingers grazing over the soft skin of her cheek. What had popped out of my mouth was something that had totally bypassed my mental editor and had left my lips before I had a chance to finish thinking the thought. I felt her soft skin, and all I could think of was how perfect she was. Apparently, as I said something about that, she looked startled, pleased, and then scared. I did not understand where all of her emotions had come from, how she could be scared of someone that took a vow to protect her, heck, even **die** for her. (Well, if I was capable of dying.)

What happened next seemed like it was in slow motion. She was backing away from me, tripping over her own feet down the stairs, and landing onto her rear in front of a speeding car, driven by someone more intoxicated by drinks than me by her; I had no other options open, either save her, or be emotionally destroyed by watching her death, knowing that I could have prevented it.

I took full advantage of my power over time, and stopped it dead in its tracks, knowing that the person driving the car wouldn't remember this the next morning. It felt like I hit a pause button during a movie, everyone stopped moving, mouths open in partially unspoken words.

I let my wings unfurl for the first time, feeling like myself for the first time since my theatric appearance on Earth, and walked to where she still lay, frozen in time, her beautiful face was horror stricken as her mind was frozen on the idea that she was about to die.

I gently picked her up and pushed off from the ground, letting the air flowing through my wings guide me until we were far enough away that I could let time resume where I had stopped it so abruptly, a laugh building in my chest as she came back around to consciousness, suddenly aware that she was no longer in front of the car, but several hundred feet in the air.

I had not let the thought cross my mind that she could have been afraid of heights or been so prone to motion sickness until now. With her in my arms, I felt her unease while her stomach dove to her feet. Then she spoke, and it was as if hundreds of bells were ringing at the same time, I swooped though the sky in a loop in an effort to show her how happy I was, but may have added insult to injury and made her sick with my display of euphoric happiness. She basically told me to put her down after that, and I obliged, grudgingly so.

I felt contentment that I knew I deserved, but somehow, my mission was darkening the edge of my mood, and I knew that I needed to have a long talk with her, if only I could wait long enough for her party to be over. I felt jealousy for the first time, toying with the idea of just showing up at her house for the party, knowing that her family would know in an instant what I am and take "necessary action", just to spend more time with her.

I dwelt on the what-if's instead of trying to go back over the way the light refracted off of her onyx hair, seeing the blues that were hidden in her highlights. I should not be falling for this girl, I mentally scolded myself, but just feeling her warmth in my arms made becoming totally human covetable.

I wished on the bright white stars above my head that I could become human, just to be with this girl; I wanted to be married to her; I wanted to comfort her; I wanted her to need me the way I needed her.

I felt my need growing ever more drastically in my body since I had the thoughts of giving up my immortality for her. I physically **needed** to be in contact with her body, to hear her thoughts, to **feel** her emotions. By God, I wanted to be the one to **make** her feel her emotions, to be lucky enough to be able to have a physical relationship with her. I wanted to kiss her, to touch her, to physically be **one** with her.

"WHOA, slow down Josh," Samuel chided sternly inside of my head, "you are getting in over your head, boy!" "Shut up Sam," I growled, "you have no idea what you are talking about! **YOU** never had to deal with these feelings!!" I was shouting in my head so loud now, pain throbbed at my temples. I was furious! "What the hell do you know about any of this?!" I was biting the words out faster than I could think of the repercussions.

"What do **I** know about any of this?!" he clipped, "Did you pay **ANY** attention while you were in my head Josh? I **have** loved as you do now, I **have** made bargains to be with her, and I **have **felt the despair when she died, knowing that it was something that happened **because** of me. You don't know of the sheer agony that is my existence since she died. Even though we were so in love on Earth, when she died, she didn't stay the same as when she was alive, her eyes are different, she is glorious as one of God's angels, but I cannot be with her, because I **WORSHIP** the very cloud she sits on! I could not stand for her to be away from me, and it angered Him. Once I can find how I lived without her before, I can have her back in my life, she can be mine again; she is waiting for me. Do you know how many **centuries** I have lost with her, all because I love her **too** much?!"

Suddenly, I could see my fate intertwining with his, my hopelessness as I tried to remember what it was like without her, the physical pain of knowing that it is my fault that she couldn't be with me, my obsession being what caused me the most pain.

"Sorry, I didn't realize," I managed to grumble, nausea rolling through my body in waves bigger than my despair.

I needed to get my thoughts in order so that I could go back to the mission at hand: Saving Winter.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 – Winter

I was still unsteady from my private moments with Josh, but here I was, walking up the front steps to my house, seeing the decorations for the first time. "How gloomy," I thought, "All this black, dark purple and navy blue is making me kind of depressed. Why couldn't there be more sky blues, tans, and even pinks?" Why suddenly, was I trading in my favorite colors just because they reminded me of him?

I sighed as I walked in the massive, heavy wooden doors to the front hall of my house. Could I even call it that yet?

I was amazed at all the faces that greeted me when I went into what I could only assume to be a living room. They all looked at me expectantly, some I recognized, some I did not.

"Sorry I am so late," I apologized instantly, "I ran into someone I know, and you know how that can be. Ha-Ha." My feeble attempt at humor was weak, even by my own standards.

"We are just glad that you are here now," my mother and father came to the front of the group. My mother wrapped me in a cool hug and my father kissed the top of my head, all for the guest's expectations, I suspected. "Now you can find out about your family! We are so glad that you can **become** one of us now," my mother said cryptically.

My look of confusion must have been pretty darn amusing, the whole room burst into laughter. I was not amused and had to fight the irritation that boiled inside of my nerves.

Grabbing me a little more roughly than she probably intended to, my mother put her hand around my wrist, and pulled me to face her. "Follow me," she instructed. "Like I have a choice," I thought almost miserably. S

he pulled me after her, down a long hall; I had a hard time concentrating on where we were going, I was too awestruck by the torches that were lit on the walls on either side of me. I tried to amuse myself by thinking of the movies that this reminded me of, but was unsettled when I realized that they were all horror movies; this was the part where the young virgin was taken down to the basement and sacrificed to the devil. Was this what Josh had been talking about? Was my family a bunch of Satan worshippers? If that was the case, wouldn't he be here right now to protect me? Would he be able to stop them from killing me? While my mind pondered all of these things, I didn't notice that we had come out of the long hall, into what looked like a gigantic ball room that someone had set up for, gasp, an evil sacrifice. There were long tables on either side of the room, with longer black tablecloths covering them. Ominous candelabras held dark, blood red candles. And wouldn't you know it, there was a pentagram drawn in glowing white chalk on the floor surrounded by all kinds of smaller black candles.

"Um," I once again mumbled miserably sounding terrified for good reason, "I am NOT a virgin, just so you know, so whatever you have planned will not work."

My mother looked at me then and did something that I had never seen her do in all the years of my life, she tilted her head back and laughed until she had to bend over with her hands on her knees so that she could catch her breath.

"Stupid girl," she scolded, tears streaming down her face from laughing so long, "What do you think that we are going to do? Sacrifice you? You are **SO** misinformed…" she trailed off, giving herself over to another bout of laughter. "You are finally of age, so we are having this party as a formal invitation to our coven, and your blood right. You do not have to agree just yet, but we will tell you as much as we know that you need to know to make an informed decision. Yes, we are witches, the most powerful coven in all the history of witches to be more precise. We have roughly about 72 members, so we are also the largest. We practice black **and** white magic, which is where our immense power comes from. Do you have any questions thus far?"

"Well," I thought quickly, "when you say 'practice black **and** white magic', do mean use the Ouija board?"

She cocked her head to the side, and looked at me like she was looking at a stranger, "Did I give birth to you? Why are you having such a hard time believing in what I tell you? 'Do you mean use the Ouija board?' what kind of question is that? Of course we don't play with the Ouija board! That is a game for children with too much time on their hands and an overactive imagination to spare. When I say 'magic', I mean **this** kind of magic," she said to me with contempt, and as she finished the word magic, she held her hands together, looking intently at her palms almost pressed completely together. Instantly, everyone in the room was mumbling as one, their voices twining together to form one. Something in between my mother's palms flashed a brilliant blue, and she parted her hands to show me what she had. A blue bird, unlike any bird I had ever seen before, turned its head to look at me in the face, then flew out of my mother's hands, and up into the rafters in the ceiling of the basement.

"Of course, there are a few conditions that you must meet to be a part of our coven; 1st off, you must be of age 18 before you can be inducted which happens in three weeks, right after your birthday party, 2nd you must marry a warlock inside of the coven, picked by us of course, and 3rd, you must take an oath before the entire coven that you would die before deserting your coven or your mate. I am taking the liberty of setting up a meeting with your future mate, Timothe, for tomorrow evening. You dated him some time ago, but you don't talk about him much more, so we will let you two get reacquainted. As the time draws closer, I will tell you more of the indoctrination ceremony. And I will tell you now; no one has ever declined the invitation to the coven, so please choose carefully, my daughter."

All I could do was just weakly nod my head in reply. As if I didn't have enough things going through my head already, we were going to add an arranged marriage to all of the confusion? And Timothe of all people?! I dated him for about 2 months when I found out that he smoked enough weed to put a serious dent in his already diminished brain cells. Also, his moral compass always pointed a little south, wait; this is a WARLOCK I am thinking about. What in this whole stupid equation makes much sense??

In the past two days I have learned that 1. I have a very hot and sexy guardian angel, and 2. I am a witch by nature and that I am about a week away from marrying the biggest loser that has ever disgraced the earth by breathing in existence.

The rest of the party flew by in what seemed like a few seconds to my already befuddled mind. I only kept myself together by not looking into my mother's probing eyes. Apparently, this is not the reaction that she was expecting. I smiled at the people that smiled at me, and ignored the rest.

Before it seemed I could blink, I was being showed the rest of the house by my already cautious mother. I missed half of the tour, lost in my own thoughts and worries. I was worrying about marrying Timothe; he was such a jerk, definitely not my idea of an ideal husband, especially not for me. At the same time, I was thinking about how foolish I am to already be missing Josh. Seriously, I don't know him much more than any random man on the streets, but I cannot get him out of my mind. "So, have you thought of a decision for us yet," my mother almost hissed, "you look troubled my daughter."

"I just had a whole boatload of crap unloaded on me, I just graduated, the real world is looming in my very immediate future and I am going to need to go to my room to think about everything," I answered almost testily, daring her with my words to continue this discussion. "As you wish," she replied.

Abruptly, she turned her back on me, expecting me to follow her, and started her descent down the stairs, toward my room. I followed half heartedly, only looking at her when I reached my door. "Well, goodnight, mother," I said finally feeling the shock and numbness of the day creep in over my body. "Don't worry, I will give this whole matter the serious thought that it deserves," I told her as I slipped into my doorway, closing the door behind me quietly.

I looked at the alarm clock by my bedside, and was not surprised that it read 4:49am. "Okay, Joshua," I fumed, "Come out, come out where ever you are."

As if by magic, he walked out of thin air and settled easily onto the thick black comforter that cloaked my bed. His expression was hard to read, and for the first time in his presence, I felt unease. It seemed he was battling his demons, just as I was, and I couldn't help but wonder what demons an angel had to face that made him look so miserable.

"So I just found out my family 'secret'. What do I do now?" I looked to him for answers, his eyes giving none away.

"Well, you do what you feel is right for you," he answered simply, "but if you choose your family's path for you, you will lose your soul, and there is nothing but damnation and torture down that road. Of course, if you choose that path, I will no longer be able to be of help to you. I was sent here simply to help you make informed decisions."

He held his hands open wide in a gesture of helplessness. His pain was apparent as he tried, to no avail, to meet my eyes. "Well, if I choose to decline my family, will you stay in my life?" I was trying my hardest to be strong, but felt like I was talking to a boyfriend that he didn't want to be with me anymore, and it hurt me to my very core.

His beautifully haunted eyes held pain equivalent to my own, and he answered me in a husky voice that I had never heard from his flawless mouth before, "I am not sure if I would be helpful to you." "You just saved my life earlier tonight!" I retorted, disbelieving that he was questioning his role in life, even if it was only briefly up to this point.

"Yes, but..." he started, "I don't know if I can make the right decisions in your case, you see, I have some issues that are impairing my judgment." I looked at him incredulously, searching for acceptance in his face, in his features. "What issues? Do you find me unattractive? Is it because I am so clumsy? What are these damnable issues that could take you away from me?!"

He looked at me so sadly that I could feel my heart breaking in shards so sharp; it felt like they would cut me to ribbons from the inside out. Answering me matter-of-factly, he replied, "I do not find you unattractive, as it stands; you are, by far, the most awe-inspiring thing I have ever beheld. I find your clumsiness endearing. My issue is that I am desperately in love with you."

As he finished his epiphany, his voice cracked, and I found myself laughing at him. "What in God's creation are you laughing at?!" he was the one incredulous now. "Is that it? That's why you'd have to leave me? Because you **LOVE** me?? I'm sorry; just give me a moment to digest this…"

I was giggling so much that I was starting to get lightheaded, so I sat next to him on my bed. "This can't happen, Winter," he said guardedly, "this is not what I am here for."

I put my hand on his shoulder wondering how it is now **me** doing the comforting. "You are here for **ME**. And have no worries, I love you too; it is the only explanation that I can give to the way I feel. Why is that so wrong?" I laid my head down on his shoulder, and shuddered with unspoken dread at the thought of my angel leaving me over what I felt was such a trivial thing.

"I am sure that I'd give up my soul **TO BE WITH YOU**, screw my family."

His resolve was crumbling as I spoke, and I felt the undeniable urge to draw him into my arms and just console him.

I felt the uncomfortable stagger of his breath as he reached a hand to my face. His hand gently found my chin, and he pulled my face to his. His lips met mine, and the insatiable hunger and fever I found there startled me as I gave in to this forbidden kiss. My hands flew to his cheeks, and felt the same fever as was in his lips while his arms encircled my waist. I felt the earth move beneath me, as the kiss continued to get deeper, and was surprised when I realized that the earth had not moved, but I had. I was in his strong arms, held tightly to his chest, like a young child being carried by their parents. He stepped back, still kissing me; and then stood me up on my own two feet, which of course broke the kiss.

He looked forlornly into my eyes, and gave me a lopsided grin, "Would you like to take this back to the bed?" he asked mischievously. "Now?" I asked, it was not so much a request as a demand. "No, Winter." His grin got bigger, "In 5 months." I stuck my tongue out at him, but in the time it took me to pull it back in, he was lying on my bed. **GASP!** With no shirt. It took all of my inner strength not to pounce on him right then and there.

Forcefully, I took painstakingly slow steps to the bed, suddenly feeling nervous and inadequate since I am still a virgin. (Yes, I lied to my mom.) How do you measure up to an angel?!

I sat down as smoothly as I possibly could, but noticing that I felt mechanical instead of seductive. His grin got even bigger as he laid me down on my back beside him on the bed. I didn't understand it until his warm arm curled around my midsection, and embarrassment flooded me from head to toe.

"Well, goodnight," my angel said softly. "How can you say goodnight at a time like this?!" I howled. "You need your sleep. We have the time for all that stuff later." I sighed knowing that he would never give in to me, and that I would have to try to get some sleep; tomorrow was a new day, and I still had to get reacquainted with Timothe, my unlikely future husband. Even with my inner turmoil, I couldn't fight the heaviness that cloaked me and I felt myself drifting off, thinking only of Josh's big blue eyes.


	9. Chapter 9

As always! Thank you elfinchakie for all the kind words and encouragement! *Kiss* for you! 

Chapter 9 – Joshua

I know I shouldn't have done what I did, but nothing in the world felt more right then when I lay holding her, watching the lights from her window play over her face as she slept.

I admit that I shouldn't have let it get this far, and Sam was giving me a verbal bashing for it, believe me. I was still silently arguing with him, even as I watched her eyelids flutter while she dreamed. When she would sigh, I wondered if it was me that she was dreaming of. What if I wasn't? I felt the jealousy again, stronger than before, trying desperately to poison my heart.

Every so often, I would look at the bedside clock, keeping abreast of the time, so that I could disappear when that foul boy Timothe showed up. I may be an angel, but I would give my wings for that boy's blood on my hands.

"He will **not** be marrying MY Winter," I thought bitterly, "I won't allow it." "Joshua," my internal morality guide chided, "she is not yours. She never will be. Too much is at stake, **I** won't allow this to happen, if it means reassigning or even destroying you. I can do that, you know. You won't be happy, but we do what we have to do. Did you ever think that maybe, just **maybe**, you will bring more danger to her playing house than doing your job?"

I knew he spoke the truth, but I didn't want to hear it. This was a certain kind of blasphemy that I couldn't even **try** to tolerate; to say such horrible things of this girl was pure evil, and I would not stand for it. I almost wished that I had a mute button that I could push to get him to shut up.

Downstairs, I heard her parents talking about Winter and **their** version of her future. My rage boiled under my skin, I felt like I would burst into flames. They had just gotten off the phone with him; he was on his way over now. Showtime.

I gingerly removed my arm from under her neck and quietly went to the other side of the bed. I knelt down so that our faces were only inches apart and whispered to her. "Winter, love, it is time to wake up. It is almost 2:30 and Timothe will be here shortly, you need to get ready."

Like a child, she fought with me, snuggling back into the space where I had been only moments before. Her eyes flew open as the realization hit her that I was no longer laying behind her and she sat straight up in the bed. "What?!" she squealed, my words finally sinking in. "Ewe, him," she said maliciously, "can't we just stay in bed? I'll just say I'm sick. It's worked before." "No. You must do this. Have no fear, I will be within earshot, and so if he turns into an asshole, I will be there in a heartbeat."

Even as I said the words, I couldn't ignore the queasiness that formed a ball in my stomach.


	10. Chapter 10

elfinchakie, this chapter is for you….have faith, love always conquers all! :D Sorry, it's a HUGE cliff hanger! 

Chapter 10 – Winter

How do you dress to turn a guy off?

I toyed with that notion while I scanned my wardrobe. I knew unconsciously that no matter what I wore, he would still marry me; he had to. It was some kind of unwritten witch's law, I was sure.

Knowing that it was officially out of my hands, I picked out a warm sweater and a comfortable pair of jeans. "Well, here goes nothing…." I grumbled, "A lot of nothing."

I left my room feeling kind of uneasy, knowing that Josh would be within hearing range the whole time. I still felt the flutters in my stomach as I hit the top of the stairs, remembering the previous night; feeling so secure in his arms, being able to sleep the whole way through the night for the first time since I was little.

As I crested the stairs, I heard the doorbell ring, and saw that my mother's gothic little boy-toy was already answering the door. Timothe was smiling at me smugly from the other side of the door; it was all I could do not to knock that sickening smile off of his face. "Thank you Xander," I smiled politely at our butler, wishing for him to disappear, "that will be all." He gave me a gravely knowing glance, nodded once and turned on his heel and left just as quickly as he appeared.

"You look great, Winter," Timothe commented as his eyes roamed my body approvingly. I nodded in grudgingly unhappy acceptance to his x-ray stare and said as politely as I could muster, "Well, are you coming in or are you gonna stand there and look stupid while you freeze? You know I don't care either way…" I started to shut the door to emphasize my point so he came in, his smile well on its way to disappearing.

I felt his eyes skim my body again, and fought the urge to **NOT** slap his teeth down his throat. I couldn't help the smile forming on my lips while I imagined his body going limp as his eyes rolled up into his head after my earth-shattering punch knocked him out cold.

I was so caught up in my own violent daydream that I did not notice that Timothe had come dangerously close to me, eying me from the messy ponytail that I had haphazardly thrown my hair up into, down to the running shoes that adorned my feet. I could smell his cologne, which he overdid, no doubt for my benefit; I wondered what he would say if he knew that it was actually making me nauseas, rather than making me hot for him.

"So Winter, how have you been? I haven't seen you since we broke up, and it has torn my heart apart. I was inconsolable, thinking about how I could get another chance with you. I can't say that I was disappointed when I found out that your parents chose me for you." He said this with the most emotion and truth I have ever heard him speak, but I couldn't let that deter me, I had an angel's heart on the line, for God's sake.

"Well, I'm glad that one of us wasn't disappointed. I, on the other hand, am **sickened** by the thought of having to marry you. So, please do not get your hopes up, I think that I will be the first to let this coven down, just so that I won't have to be your wife. You sucked as a boyfriend; I can't imagine the amount of suckage that you are capable of as a husband." I couldn't hide the distaste in my voice while an involuntary shudder passed through my body at that thought. Apparently, he took my shudder as I was cold, because he wrapped me in the coldest of embraces, and kissed me vehemently. I tasted the poison of his lips, and fought against him, feeling more validated in my decision now more than ever.

I shoved him away with such force that he bounced bodily off of the front door. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" I shouted in disgust after I wiped my mouth clean with the back of my hand. "Are you honestly **stupid** enough to not get that I am NOT into you??" I was incredulous at the thought that he actually might be. "Who wouldn't be into this?" he asked arrogantly, gesturing to his chest, which was, by most standards, gorgeous. (Until you got to know him) "Well, you know, I was until you became a pothead and a cheating skeez. Now that I know better, I actually find you repulsive. So, IF you don't mind, can we please get past these pleasantries and talk about the fact that I will **not** be marrying you, and maybe find some middle ground?" I retorted testily.

Keeping as far from him as I could, I followed him into the living room, watched which couch he chose to sit on, and picked the chair opposite of it. "So how have you been?" I bit the words out, knowing that not only was Josh listening in, but my parents probably were as well. "Missing you, and thinking about the honeymoon night, bonka-chicka-ow-ow, it's gonna be hot," he winked at me. I rolled my eyes in reply, and looked at him impatiently to continue.

Instead of finishing his brief history away from me, he actually got up from the couch, walked the short distance to me, grabbed my wrists, and pulled me back down on top of him on the couch. I yanked, to no avail, to get free of his ironclad grasp.

Timothe let his hands roam under my shirt to fondle my breasts, all the while, grunting like an animal. I struggled to get my knee in the right position to kick him in the balls, but it was like he was possessed by the strongest man on earth; all I could do was squirm. Panic rose in my chest like a fire alarm, but I could not scream; I found that I could make no noise at all, which frightened me. "Stop! Don't!" I screamed in my head, praying for Josh to show up and save me.

Before my mind could fully comprehend what was happening, his other hand had unbuttoned my jeans, and his hand had found its way down the front, against my skin. Nausea rolled in my stomach, and my heart was breaking. My mind was only focused on one thought now; "Where was Josh?" Somewhere in the back of my mind, I was aware of his rough defilement of everything that I was hoping to share only with Josh, and the pain had turned into dull shock.

I started to cry, wishing that I had taken more initiative with my mother and at least learned some protection spells or something. "Are those tears of joy, my beautifully submissive fiancée? If you think that this is good, just wait until you feel what I have in store for you later." Timothe ground his lap into mine.

It was at that moment that I realized that I had stopped fighting him. What was the point, I thought desperately. If Josh was unwilling to help me at this obscenely dark moment in my life, who was I to fight it? Just then, I felt hands grab me roughly from behind and yanked me away from Timothe, and I fell hard on my back.

I was only able to get a glimpse of my savior's feathery wings, and the blood that flew in the air around them, when everything went dark.


	11. Chapter 11

Still my story, lol. Thanks again to my ever faithful elfinchakie for always reviewing and being so sweet to me! I hope you enjoy, hun! :D

Chapter 11 – Joshua

I was sitting in Winter's room on her bed, weighing my options with her in my head. I was arguing with myself, as well as with Sam. He was trying desperately to be my moral compass, but I know in my heart that God meant for all of us, including his angels, to be happy. Winter **WAS my **happiness. She was my speck of light in the darkness of this world. She was what kept me thanking God every day. I was especially thankful last night, as I held her in my arms, watching the even breathing of her sleep.

"Um, excuse me Josh," Sam's voice was uneven as he interrupted my peaceful reverie, "He's going to kill her if you don't get flying, boy." I was so caught up in my own emotions, my own problems that I had not noticed that the feeling and the air in the room downstairs had turned hostile and hopeless. If he was hurting her…I started, but couldn't finish.

I took off out her door and down the stairs. Sam was filling me in as I went. "Timothe has been assigned to kill her, her blood is strong and regardless of if she decides to join the coven, she will have power that will dwarf theirs. He just figured that if he was going to kill her, that he would have a little fun first. He had never **had** her while they dated, and it has bothered him ever since she left him."

I felt my untamed rage boil to the surface as my already quick speed bordered on breakneck. I paused in the doorway only long enough to see that the foul wretch had his hands all over what I only had the courage to **think** about. Winter was crying and looking so terrified that I caught my breath, and swore to God above me that he would never again touch her as long as I had life in my being.

I sped over to where he was emotionally scarring the woman I knew in my heart was perfect. I did all I could to not hurt her as I grabbed her a little bit more roughly than I had intended to and sent her away from him and across the floor for her safety.

I was about to do damage control. My mind was a flurry of violent penalties for him. I wanted to hurt him, maim him, even mutilate him; there was no deed that I could do to him that was aptly deserving of what he did to her.

I grabbed him around the throat, and proceeded to crush his windpipe. Thinking again that I wanted him alive so that he could live in fear of what he could not see, I settled for just beating him senseless. "As if it would take much energy," I thought angrily.

My fist met his face repeatedly, the skin of his face turning into a very nasty looking bloody pulp. His life blood was pouring from his nose in torrents by the time my anger was justly satiated.

I sat back on my heels, finally feeling the anger drain from me; remembering that Winter still lay on the ground behind me, frozen in time, I turned, checking her face looking desperately to find some of the spark in her eyes that makes her Winter. Finding none, my heart stood perfectly still and started to break until I realized that she was still frozen as was everything else. In the heat of the moment, I had forgotten to return everything to real-time.

With just my will alone, the clocks on the mantelpiece started to tick again, Timothe slumped down into the couch as unconsciousness took him, and Winter still lay silently on the floor; the only thing giving away that she was actually alive were her tears, which were still streaming down her face. Her eyes were staring unfocused at the floor, and I felt that she would stay like that forever.

I knelt down beside her, and as gently and easily as I could, I began the heartbreaking task of redressing her. When I got to getting her jeans back up and buttoned, she fought feebly against me, and I felt tears flowing hotly down my cheeks. It hurt me to not only know what she had just been through, but knowing that in her mind, she was still going through it; that fact alone relit the fire of my rage.

I laid her back down onto the floor, and with one final burst of vengeance, kicked him right in the nuts with as much power as I could manage to muster. If he was going to be able to live through this, I'd be damned if he **ever** had another sexual thought flit through miniscule brain again.

Confident that his nether regions were in worse shape than his face, I turned back around to Winter, bent down, and gently scooped her up in my arms. I turned once more to give my hard work a once over and was proud to see that even unconscious, he was in massive amounts of pain. He sat still slumped, bloody, unconscious, and now quivering from the pain that was assaulting his body.

I took slow, careful steps toward the front door, so as not to disturb the woman in my arms who was just now sobbing rather than the quiet tears that had carved their twin saline trails down her face.

Quickly, I unfurled my wings and gracefully pushed off from the ground, taking her to the place I always found solitude and healing. I wanted desperately to take her to a special place that I went to alone. Upward we went, quickly across city, county, then state lines, looking for the ominous black cloud in the northern part of Maine that I sought. From a distance, it was frighteningly beautiful; a giant charcoal grey cloud that was sending down charges of blue and yellow electricity bigger than my wrist. I perched on the top of the cloud, tucking my wings safely behind me, and set Winter down, looking intently into her purple eyes; waiting for her response.

I prayed this would help bring her peace.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12 – Winter

I clenched my eyes shut tighter, hearing roaring thunder at decibels loud enough to deafen an elephant. I could also hear the falling of rain around me, but yet, I wasn't even the slightest bit damp. I felt Joshua's warmth radiating from the arms that were encircling me, and I felt at ease.

Suddenly, my mind flew quickly to the events that just passed and I rolled over onto my knees and violently retched onto the ground beneath me; pausing only long enough to marvel that I had just thrown up onto a cloud and that it was very weird, but humorous, that it went straight through. I know someone down below is really pissed off, messy and confused.

Once my stomach convulsions slowed down, then stopped altogether, I wiped at my mouth with the back of my hand, and looked up into Joshua's worried face. I opened my mouth, but he held his hand up to quiet my words before I could speak. "Before you say anything, I must say that I am so sorry for not being there sooner," he started, his eyes welling with tears, "I was so caught up with thoughts of you that I totally lost track of what was going on downstairs. I know that I let you down, and understand that it will never happen again. I can't bear the thought of you ever being hurt again; the thought alone infuriates me. Just knowing that the horrid boy has touched you in places that I have only **thought** of makes me sick. If I was able to sleep and dream, I know that I'd have nightmares until the end of time. Tell me how I can make up for letting you down earlier; I'll do anything. My life is entirely about you now." He looked like a chastised boy as he stared sadly at his hands, tears running silently down his face as he waited for my response.

"I do not blame you for what happened to me, Josh," I stated matter of factly, "You can't help what happened to me any more than I can. Hell, if it hadn't been for you, I would probably be raped by now or worse." I was realistic about my earlier situation; I know in my gut that Timothe wouldn't have stopped until he'd seen that I had quit breathing.

I looked into Joshua's eyes, hopefully searching his eyes that he was taking the blame off of himself. He seemed intent on emotionally torturing himself for his so called indiscretions against me, and I felt worse now than before. "I mean it, thank you for saving me," I said as sweetly as I could, then added for good measure, "again."

His eyes lit up and a smile crossed his face then, I couldn't retain the feeling that flooded my chest at the wonderful expression of unfathomable happiness that he was displaying. "So, where do we go from here?" I asked, suddenly timid at the idea of having to go home. "Do you think my family knows what happened yet?"

"I hate to bring this up," he looked lost for a moment, "but they put Timothe up to it. You see, there is more to your power than you know, and it is something we will get more in depth about here very soon." "I am so very confused," my head was starting to throb with all the new found information that I was to process.

I reached out to him and took his hand in mine, my mind fixated on the obvious difference; his hand overshadowed my own by several sizes. "What am I going to do?!" I exclaimed miserably, "All of my stuff is in my bedroom, and I can't get back in the house! They'll try to kill me again if I try to get my stuff, right?"

"We can't be too sure of that," he said guardedly, as if afraid of giving too much away too quickly, "You can stay in my apartment if you'd like for as long as you wish; there are several different rooms, so you wouldn't have to worry about where to sleep. It's no mansion, but it **is** unbearably big." For a moment, his eyes smoldered and there was no doubt in my mind that I would not only take him up on his offer of lodging, but I would be sleeping in his bed before the night was out.

"Thank you for letting me stay with you," I said with a hint of a smile on my lips, "I would prefer if, with everything going on right now, I could sleep in the bed with you, just for safety." "I don't think you'd be safe with me in the same bed as you," he laughed quietly, "I think that it might actually be more dangerous…I never can keep myself under check with you so close."

"Who said I wanted you under check?" I inquired, trying really hard to have it sound light while not revealing the fact that I was so nervous that I felt I would shake myself apart. We were flirting with each other like one would when they were trying to pick up an evening mate. The pent up sexual energy between the two of us charged the air. It seemed that it was lending some of the energy to the lightening charges that were flashing rapidly to earth below us.

"Well," he looked embarrassed for a moment, "you possess a certain goodness that I am not comfortable with taking away just yet."

"You need to get over your issue with my virginity, Josh," I eyed him skeptically, "I really enjoyed kissing you last night, but I don't want to have to touch myself to keep myself pure for you. If I were to touch myself for that reason, I would imagine it is you that is touching me." He had no idea how I longed and burned for him to be the one doing the touching. He looked startled for a moment, and then announced wretchedly, "The idea of you doing that is maddening to me. I don't want you to do those things anymore!! I cannot fathom why you women are so open to replacing men with such obscenely morbid pleasure techniques." I was outraged at his impromptu monologue and argued, "So it's okay for a man to do it, but it's OBSCENE for a woman?! Why do you have SUCH a problem with what I do in my personal time?"

I was so angry that I couldn't get a grip on what was making him so hostile. "Because I am insanely jealous!!" he erupted with such an intense fervor that I felt as if I'd been slapped. "Why?" I was more confused now than I had ever been before. "Because I have wanted to touch you ever since I first saw you. I can just think of you and this stupid human body I have does strange things…I am at a loss for what to do." He stretched his arm out in a shrugging gesture that was more bemused than lost.

I steadied myself for the impending rejection that I knew somehow was coming, but nonetheless leaned up to his face, still holding his hand, and kissed him. He kissed me back, and I felt myself surprised at the fact that not only was he kissing me back, but also at the level of emotion that he kissed me with.

Running with the fact that he hadn't exactly said no, I pulled him as I leaned back onto the cloud. Even with the sudden weight change, the cloud never gave an inch, only pushed gently back.

My head swam as the familiar dizzy feeling raged through it. I had to concentrate very intensely to not pass out during such a passionate kiss. As he kissed me, his fingers lightly brushed my cheek. I couldn't get my hands to move from his wavy hair. He deepened the kiss, moving his hands down from my face, gently and lovingly caressing my neck as they passed.

Although I wasn't really cold, I found myself trembling at his feather-light touch; he noticed this and wrapped me tightly in his wings, so close to his chest that I couldn't make myself take a full breath to save my life. He sighed and continued to kiss me as he got bolder, letting his hands trace chill inducing circles down my sides. He lingered there for the longest time tracing new circles, some big, some small. I tried my hardest to retain my composure and not fling him onto his back and take full advantage of him right there; I had to remember that we'd eventually make it back to his apartment.

I finally attained control over my hands again and disentangled them from his hair, only to lose the ability to move them again when I touched his face and neck. I felt the embarrassing heat rise up into my face and I heard him chuckle from deep in his throat.

Josh pulled back just far enough to look at me directly in the face, his eyes smoldering, "I think I should get you back to the apartment so that you can get ready to go to sleep." I grumbled, not wanting to let go of this one perfect moment in the storminess of my life, "I can sleep later, I just want to enjoy this for what it is." His eyes crinkled up with suppressed laughter, but nonetheless, stood up with me in his arms and took off towards the apartment.


	13. Chapter 13

Hey to my loyal peoples! Sorry for taking so long to update….life happens!! Here you go and yet another update immediately after!

Chapter 13 – Joshua

I was euphoric with Winter in my arms as I flew back to the apartment that I could soon call ours. It only took moments to get there by wing, but I felt like it took years.

I was unexpectedly anxious at the thought of Winter living in my home. What would she think? Would she deem me arrogant by the massive space and elegant furnishings? Or rather, would she see me as someone who was low class because the apartment wasn't quite as large as the mansion that she had called home for so many years? Would the setup of my not so humble abode please her? Would she be able to be comfortable there? Even more, would I be able to have her in such a close proximity without endangering her further? I may not have taken vows as an angel, but I had vowed to protect her.

I could feel her heart thump unevenly against her ribcage as we flew; the sound, though making me happy as she was still alive, also depressed me, not knowing if the source of the unevenness was that I was so close or all of the things that had happened to her today.

Even though it took us less than 5 minutes to make the couple of hundred miles trek to my apartment, it was dark before we arrived.

The 60 story building loomed ominously in front of us, as we walked up to the front door of the complex, to keep up the normal front of course. I nodded absentmindedly at the doorman, walking past him hand in hand with Winter. "Well, Mr. Benson, won't you introduce me to your lady friend?" the doorman was suddenly smiling warmly at me from under his bellhop hat. I did a double take when I met the familiar chestnut brown eyes and hissed, "Samuel?! What the…well, what **are** you doing?!" I was so taken aback that I didn't realize that I was being unreasonably rude to him.

He beamed at Winter and smiled warmly, "I figured that if she was important enough for you to risk being **destroyed**, that I must come down and meet this angelic witch." I was taking sidelong glances at Winter and saw her mouth drop open and her eyes pulled tight in a horrified grimace when she heard the word 'destroyed'.

"Ah, so you did not tell her everything yet? I am very disappointed in you Joshua," he chided softly, catching the same horrified expression on her face that I had. "No," I whispered, "I hadn't gotten that far yet. I was trying to work up to that, Thank You."

I was getting somewhat angry, he was frightening her and she had had such a traumatic day already. She finally was able to shake the expression that had frozen to her face and she looked up at me with angry tears in her eyes, "Destroyed? He's not talking about just kicking your ass, is he, Josh?" Samuel smiled angelically at me, but flinched at her blatant disregard in cussing in front of such pure beings. She caught the flinch and shook her head apologetically and managed to croak out a weak "Sorry" to him before turning her unwavering glare once again on me.

I met her eyes with uncertainty, but took her hand and guided her to the elevator so that we could make the few minute long ride to the 60th floor to my apartment so that we could continue this discussion in private; not necessarily from Samuel, but from the innocent humans that had begun to stare at the mild confrontation in the foyer of their 'high end' apartment building.

We rode the ostentatious elevator in silence, my eyes watching her as she looked angrily at anything but my face. I smiled absentmindedly at her anger, more in awe than anything else, that even livid, she was still the most spectacular woman I had ever seen.

She seemed to notice my eyes on her; she shifted nervously from one foot to the other. The light piano in the background seemed to annoy her further. "Stupid elevator music," she seethed through clenched teeth, "no one wants to 'Wang Chung' to piano music."

I was amused that not only was she able to figure out the song even though it was changed so drastically to be considered 'elevator' music. "Are you sure?" I looked at her, my eyes previewing the smile that I tried in vain to hide. I grabbed her hand and spun her in a delicate circle. "Um," she said shakily, "I think so…"

I laughed deep in my throat, imagining what it would be like to hold her in my arms, deeming her to be a perfect dance partner. "Got to love elevators," I announced, my own voice filled with pain rather than annoyance in the choice for the next song, 'How Am I Supposed To Live Without You'.

I stood rooted to the marble floor, a horrified expression glued to my face as I saw the single tear that slid from Winter's overfull eye, down her cheek, and into the neckline of her sweater. In a tenth of a second, I softly pulled her into my arms, trying my hardest to protect her from the feelings that had her so melancholy.

In my head I went through the different options that I had: I could leave her alone, which could be hazardous to both her physically, and me emotionally. I could stay with her and fight for her against all odds; which means I would be destroyed physically and that would damage her further emotionally.

Wow, why is it always the lesser of the two evils? I don't see anything about Winter as evil, but this whole situation sucks; either way, I am destined to hurt her. That thought alone felt like it would kill me.

Being at a loss for anything better to do to fix the potential problem, I held her more tightly to my chest. She clung there desperately trying to stop the sobbing that had overcome her.

After an endless moment, the elevator chimed to let us know that we had finally arrived to my floor. I say my floor because mine is the only apartment on the 60th floor. That thought first irritated me, but I had gotten the better of the irritation over now seeing it more as an advantage now than a hindrance.

The elevator door opened silently, and I felt Winter's breath finally even out. I could tell she was puzzled by the vision in front of her, anyone in their right mind would be. Just on the other side of the door, only stood another door; the front door to my apartment.

I readjusted her weight so that I could get the key out of my pocket and slid it soundlessly into the keyhole. Unlocked now, the door swung open easily. I hoisted her up into my arms effortlessly then carried her over the threshold to the living room, which by any standard, was massive. I heard Samuel walk silently out from the elevator behind us. He looked sullenly at the two of us, and shook his head with disdain.

Winter was oblivious to his downtrodden attitude, as she gasped, taking in the sights. Just inside the door, to the right was an immense sofa, sky blue, of course…I think Samuel picked out the color scheme to be funny. Past the sofa were several large overstuffed recliners and lounge chairs. And up against the wall is my 'entertainment center', even though, "wall of all things music center" would have been more appropriate. Samuel, in all of his infinite wisdom, had supplied me with almost every cd ever made, knowing how much I absolutely adore music.

"Wow," Winter breathed wistfully, "you must really like your music." She laughed in her throat as she eyed my music collection. "Yeah," I blushed, "it is my release, my therapy. Music is the biggest freedom that God has ever invented." I smiled reverently at the thought that God was the man behind the music, and laughed out loud. She smiled back, but had cocked her head at an angle to look at me, mystified as to why I was suddenly laughing like I was crazy. "Just for your information, there are speakers built in to the ceiling of each room, including the bathroom," I confided, still laughing. Winter let her eyes bug out for only a moment before regaining her composure, and nodded approvingly.

"Well, Winter," Samuel said, cutting into our moment of happiness, "I need to start explaining how we need to go about your situation. Also, what your future holds." I heard her suck a breath in between her teeth, almost as she had been slapped. I swept in front of her, pushing her behind my back protectively. Looking Sam in the eye, I stated menacingly, "I think that Winter has had a very long, rough day and I would feel so much better if she was able to eat, bathe and sleep. We can get into the formalities in the morning."

Sam sighed, but agreed reluctantly, "Okay, I will be here bright and early to talk all of this out. I think it would be best under the circumstances for Winter to start trying to manifest her powers tonight as an introduction to the training that she will start after we discuss the future. But, Winter I will warn you, the transition that you are about to make is going to be a rather difficult one. Your body and mind will not work in sync with each other at first, and you will probably get easily annoyed as well as depressed that things aren't quite going how you feel that they should. We will be patient and understanding. It is better that you learn to use this power for good rather than evil." Then as if whispering a soliloquy, "God be with you, child."

Winter eyed me wearily for a moment, the smiled triumphantly, "I get to do magic tomorrow?! I am so excited!!"

Sam rolled his eyes but nevertheless took a few steps toward the wall and walked right through, disappearing altogether. Winter sighed at me and said sarcastically, "It's good to see he's not one for theatrics." All I could do was scowl and tell her under my breath, "You have no idea…."


	14. Chapter 14

*Warning!!!* This is the beginning of the more adult parts, if you can't handle adult situations and LOTS of screwing, please find a different story to read!

Chapter 14 – Winter

I was still kind of miffed at Josh for the whole 'death and destruction' secret, but this apartment was freaking amazing! I was so lost with looking at the monumental music collection that ran, unending for what seemed like miles that I was startled when something soft and furry brushed my calf. Of course, being such a girl, I squealed and jumped.

I looked down in bemused terror at the white cat that was looking at me rather uninterestedly. Josh smiled at my embarrassing show of cowardice, and bent over to pick the cat up. "I'm sorry that I didn't really have time to introduce you two, but Winter, this is Sequester, my housecat. My very spoiled housecat, to be more specific." I looked on adoringly as he looked at the cat with such warmth and love, that my heart almost burst.

Sequester seemed to be very impatient about me being a newcomer in her house, because she jumped nimbly into my arms. I had to struggle to not only keep upright, but to also not drop the snuggly ball of fluff onto her head. I laughed deeply for the first time all day, and saw that he had redirected the warmth and love to me.

I blushed as I tried very hard to hide my face in her fur. "I hope you are not allergic, I had not thought of that possibility." Josh said timidly, worry darkening his beautiful features.

I worked hard to push the concern for his worry out of my head, so to help me in my quest; I studied the cat in my arms. Sequester was abnormally large, had short white fur, black whiskers on her face and had large glowing green eyes. She swished her tail arrogantly as she waited for me to finish my inspection.

When she was thoroughly satisfied that I was done, she jumped out of my arms back into Josh's, where she eyed me jealously. She nestled her head against his jawbone and purred contentedly; I know it was wrong, but I couldn't escape the ideas of flushing her down the toilet, or better, opening the window to the apartment building and dropping her 60 stories. I wondered silently if she would land on her feet.

Sensing my discomfort, Josh placed Sequester mildly on the sofa, where he covered her with a fleece throw blanket, tucked her in, and patted her head. He turned to face me and just shrugged his shoulders, a boyish look on his face. As a means of explanation, he looked at me and said simply, "Angels love deeply, especially innocent souls." Sequester's loud purring could be heard above everything else, and Josh looked oddly happy at me. "She'll be asleep until morning, when she will expect to be fed." I laughed at the ludicrousness of the idea of an angel playing daddy to a cat.

Josh gathered my hand in his and gave me a short formal tour of the rest of the apartment. "Kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, bedroom, office, bedroom, game room, bathroom, bedroom, bedroom, bathroom," he said with a humorous undertone, as he gestured wildly through the tour, "and finally," his eyes intent on mine as he swung open two large doors, "the master bed and bathroom. Where I expect that you will be sleeping tonight. You will be getting a more formal tour of the rooms later on, but for now, I will let you get yourself together. When you are ready for your bath, just push the doors to your left open." He mused.

I walked as in a dream to the end of his majestic bed, my eyes taking in the heavy down comforter. I turned to ask him what kind of mattress he had, like it made any difference, but was dismayed to find that he was already gone. I walked around and sat down at the head of the bed, wondering in the fact that the mattress was already warming to my touch.

I looked down at my dirtied clothes, which had seen better days and cursed under my breath; if I was to bathe, I should have something to change into. Movement in my peripheral vision distracted me, and I looked to the foot of the bed where sat, perfectly folded, one of Josh's button up shirts. I was mildly annoyed, wondering confoundedly if it was **my** will that had made the shirt appear. To test that theory, I wished with my full concentration that I had something worthy of Josh to wear tomorrow. In a flash, I was holding something soft, black, and ugh, silk. I found myself more annoyed at that than anything else up to this point. Of course it had to be a short, tight dress. What the crap? "Okay, power," I grumbled again, "how about something not so girly?" The dress immediately shaped itself into something that I could better approve of, a form fitting pair of ripped jeans and a low cut tan tee straight from my closet at home. I giggled, exalted and giddy.

It was time to go get a bath, I rationalized, I was getting goofy, and that was not a state I was comfortable with Josh seeing me in; as it was, the weight of the day was starting to settle on me. I realized how tired I actually was when my eyelids were having issues staying open; I started to consider going to bed filthy. I quickly reconsidered when I remembered where I was and who was here with me.

I forced myself to drag my butt off of the comfy bed, and walk down towards the double doors that Josh had promised me that led to the bathroom. I pushed the doors open and my breath caught when I realized that his bathroom was larger than my room at home. (This was no small feat, by the way.) My eyes wandered to the garden tub, which was big enough to fit a dozen women my size easily. The tub was filled to the brim with water and bubbles, and was surrounded by at least fifty candles, various in sizes, shapes and lengths.

I felt the tears as they filled my eyes uncomfortably. I was even in a bigger state of shock when I saw that the shirt, that had only moments before been folded on the edge of his bed, was now sitting off to the side of the tub, along with a thick, plush towel. I took the dirty clothes off and left them in a large heap on the floor of the bathroom.

Walking up the stairs to the tub, trying desperately to not fall or hurt myself in any other way, I smelled the lingering scent of lilacs. I eased myself into the steaming water, ooohing and aaahing as it immediately relaxed my muscles.

After sitting for a few minutes, I looked around for a washcloth, cursing myself out again for not grabbing one on my way in, and gasped when I noticed Josh standing in the doorway, holding a washcloth. His eyes held a certain sensuality that was unmistakable. "I figured I might be of some assistance."

I fought feelings of inadequacy while I nodded feebly. He sat at on the edge of the tub, and wet the washcloth. He set quickly to work, gently wiping my shoulders and back with the lathered fabric. He placed it down beside him and ran his smooth hands over the soap on my shoulders, bringing chill bumps up on my arms, and making the deep heat inside build and grow substantially.

Trying not to faint, I relied on the only thing I had left, my sarcasm, and said, "You know, I am perfectly capable of washing myself." "Okay," he replied dejectedly, "as you wish." He made a move to leave, but I quickly retracted my last words, "But I don't want you to leave. When you're close, I feel better." I felt exposed saying those words, but better that he knew the truth, like he didn't know anyway.

He leant down and kissed my lips feverishly, hands roaming my arms and shoulders again. I grabbed the front of his shirt, and pulled him closer to me, not caring if he went into the tub with me. Sensing my growing desperation, he pulled back, and pushed me gently away to a reclining position in the tub again. He dipped his hands into the water, then lifted his hands so that my hair would be wet enough to wash. He reached for the shampoo that was on the floor next to the bath, and poured a coin sized amount into his palm, rubbing his hands together to foam up the shampoo. Running his hands softly through my wet hair, he lovingly washed the strands, from my scalp to the tips. After carefully rinsing my hair, trying to avoid getting water and soap in my eyes, he applied conditioner, and then let that sit for a while; he needed to finish the rest of my bath.

Knowing that my skin hadn't gotten dirty in the time it took him to wash my hair, but not caring either way, he started rewashing my shoulders and back. Once again, the chill bumps came up, threatening to give me away, but I couldn't concentrate hard enough to keep them away. His hands felt like silk on my skin, I couldn't stop the moan that escaped my lips, even though I was biting the inside of my cheek to stay silent. He moved his hands lower, washing my breasts, which were **very** responsive to his touch. "Traitors," I mentally scolded; they had been such a big part of my life up until now, I couldn't help but feel a little double crossed. He seemed to concentrate very hard on making sure that there was no trace of dirt on my very soapy chest. I couldn't help the warm satisfaction that I felt when, as his slick hands slid over the curve of my nipples and he sighed like he was getting more out of this than I was. I lustfully met his eyes, but couldn't stop my eyes from rolling in the back of my head when he felt the urge to tweak just one.

He picked the washcloth back up and continued to wash my flushed red body. He took longer than necessary on my sides, remembering that I very much liked the circles he made on them. My back took on a slight arch at the different, but not unpleasant, feeling of his fingers making the same circles on my sides and hips.

His breathing started to take on new speed when his hands wound their way down to my thighs and the hot spot between them. I could feel myself starting to tremble, the ripples in the water extending from me like waves of desire. He was watching my face, clearly curious about my reaction to his touches. I was beyond words, the noises coming from my mouth more animalistic than human.

He continued to soap and rinse my skin, seemingly enjoying it more than I was. His eyes rarely left my face; it appeared that my pleasure was giving him far more than what he was giving me.

When he was confident that I was totally clean, he began to shave my legs, pausing only to lightly trace the smooth skin of my calves and thighs where the razor had kissed them. The intimacy in the act seemed so wrong, yet so right, I wished that the hair would grow right back out so that he would have no choice but to continue to shave forever.

Once he was finished shaving and meticulously checking the soft planes of my skin, he decided to give me a final washing. I knew that I had to have a fierce blush in my cheeks for he smiled as he tossed the washcloth onto the pile of clothes that I had left on the floor. He brought me again to the brink of euphoria with the touch of his soap slickened hands caressing my body, still taking longer on the more delicate areas than he had before. It was maddening the way he touched me.

When he had officially caressed my entire body, he gently picked me out of the tub. Josh set me down on the floor, and grabbed the towel, starting to dry me off from the top of my head to the soles of my feet. He paused over each of the bruises that had surfaced from my earlier tryst with Timothe. "I promise to avenge you in this situation, that boy will rue the day that he ever dreamt of touching you," he said through gritted teeth.

"Just remember Josh," I said carefully, "you already have. Let's not ruin this perfect night with talk of him." He looked deeply into my eyes, and seeing that I was being sincere about my feelings on the subject, he let it go.

I turned around and picked up his shirt. I was running my arms through the sleeves when I turned to face him. I looked at him square in the eye as I buttoned the shirt, trying to read the emotion that hid in his features.

I had all of the bottom buttons taken care of when he reached out to place his hands gently over mine. "Leave the rest open, you look so sexy in that shirt. I think I might have to reconsider my standing with not giving you what you want." He said huskily. "And what do I want?" I asked, the emotion catching in my voice. "Me." His voice was more rugged now than before, and all I wanted to do was pounce him right there.

He reached past me and let the tub drain, then picked me up so that I could wrap my legs around his waist. Josh carried me to the bed this way, and then sat me down on the side of the bed. He sat behind me and brushed the tangles out of my hair, brushing painstakingly slow, the sensations alone making me shake.

My eyelids grew heavy again, and I felt myself falling backwards onto his warm, bare chest. Soft music filled the air, and even though I was having difficulty forming coherent words, I was able to process the words to the song. 'Keep me awake to memorize you, Give me more time to feel this way, We can't stay like this forever, But I can have you next to me today' I startled awake and looked at him in shock, "Is this Josh Groban?!" He smiled serenely and said "Yes."

I looked at him almost incredulously and asked, more rudely than I had intended, "Why on earth would you have Josh Groban in your cd collection?!" He smiled wickedly and replied, "Well, his is the closest to angelic music that we can find, so it is kind of peaceful, it reminds me of home. Why? What do you have against Josh Groban?" "It's just that you and my best friend Nicole have the same taste in music," I grumbled, not being able to stay mad for very long. "It seems that she can sure pick music." He smiled into my hair.

The last coherent thoughts that went through my mind was that I was going to have to sit down and listen to more of Josh's cd collection so that I could find some other common bonds for us to share. While I stewed over that and not understanding much of it, Josh was caressing my hair and singing the song into my ear. Before I could remember why I needed to stay awake, I was already dreaming.

***I was standing in a dark forest, the full moon shining brightly above me. The wind was cold, blowing the hard snowflakes around my ankles. I shivered but began walking to try to get out away from the trees; for some reason, they frightened me. **

**I kept calling for my mother, but she never answered me. The wind started shrieking through the trees, bending the smaller saplings over onto themselves and harshly whipping my hair across my face. I heard distant hoof beats, like a herd of horses were coming toward me at a rather fast speed. I turned on my heel, running as fast as my legs would carry me, trying to desperately put space between myself and the horses. I felt panic rise in my throat as I heard the hooves pound ever closer. **

**I stopped in a clearing and whirled to face my pursuers; but was shocked and sickened by the sight of my family and friends come on horseback into the clearing with me. I shouted to my mother, knowing that she was not there to help, but to harm me. **

**She rode a brilliant white horse with orange blazing eyes that had red foam dripping from its opened mouth. Draped facedown across the horse in front of where my mother sat was a body. I knew instinctively that I knew the body of that person; had even memorized every inch by touch. Blood was dripping from the body in heavy, fat drops. I stepped closer to get a better look, but was unable to see the face. **

"**Do you know what we do to those who betray us, Winter?" my mother shrieked violently in her gratingly high pitched voice, "Give her the warning, Xander!" **

**After giving that direct order, something large and white spiraled over her head, landing with a thump in front of me. I bent down to examine them, wondering why my mother had dead turkeys thrown at me; upon closer inspection, I saw that they were not turkeys, but large wings. The blood that stained them was still warm and sticky on my hands as I picked them up. **

**My stomach lurched to my feet as soon as I heard her sharp laugh and I raised my eyes, now frightened, to her triumphant face. She pushed the body mightily from her horse, which landed with a dull plop onto the ground. I looked on in outraged horror as the head lolled to one side which caused the face to turn to me. I felt the scream escape my lips as I looked at my fallen angel, his eyes dead and blank. Frozen on his face was a mask of a tortured soul. Josh had died in large amounts of pain. I realized that it was his wings that I now held in my hands. **

**With that realization, I felt the earth sway beneath me, and everything went black.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Okay, last update for this week-ish, lol… As always, thank you sooooooo much to my *big sigh* bestest ever for reviewing! Love you so much ElfinChakie! **

**Disclaimer since I haven't done one in a little while….this is my story….my baby….not taken from anywhere else….blah, blah, blah, blah….no worries….I may give ElfinChakie Josh as a present…would you like a gift wrapped Josh?? ;)**

Chapter 15 – Joshua

I was singing softly into the ear of the sleeping woman in my arms. My voice happy even to my ears, I sighed contentedly. This evening had been magical to say the least. I was still reveling in the memory of the silken feel of her skin.

I had not intended to go as far as I did. The effect that this woman had on my self control was devastating. Even now, with her sound asleep beside me, I could feel my pulse quicken at the memory of her eyes rolling back into her head. I had not been confidant in my 'ability' to please her, but now, I was surer of myself. She had made it very clear the she had enjoyed herself, and I was left longing for her to wake up before Samuel showed up. He was due to ruin any sort of moments that we would have today.

I knew that he was more than capable seeing as how he had almost ruined the night last night with talks of her future, which if she stayed with me, looked pretty bleak. Mine didn't look so great either, but I was one hundred percent willing to take the risk that being with her would bring me. Immortality and heaven didn't look quite as great without her there with me. I mean, what is forever if you can't be with the one that you love? I looked at her closed eyes, and prayed silently that she would be able to rest.

With her deeply asleep, I placed my hands directly over the dark bruises that pockmarked her body, and felt the warmth pass from my body to hers. I looked intently at the splotches, satisfied that they were already on their way to disappearing.

Other than the gift of protection, I guess you could say that my calling was healing. All I had to do was concentrate hard enough on something and it would start to mend or heal. It took a little out of me each time I did it, but Winter was much more important to me than I was, and worst case scenario, I could rest while she trained with Sam tomorrow.

I was less frightened about that fact than I probably should. A fledgling witch 'fighting' an older, more practiced angel; the thought alone made me laugh. Sam wouldn't hurt her, but depending on what he was teaching her and how quickly she got it, he may end up getting his butt handed to him.

Winter suddenly twitched in my arms, I jolted fully aware of the pained look that had her face twisted into a frown. My heart skipped a few beats while I debated on whether I should wake her or not. She struggled violently with me, with the covers like she was trying to escape some fierce predator.

Suddenly, she began mumbling. I strained to hear the words, it sounded like she was talking to her mother. Her voice took on a clipped soprano tone and she spat out, "Do you know what we do to those who betray us, Winter? Give her the warning, Xander!" I was abruptly on edge, listening to what had to be only her mother's voice threatening the woman who held my life in her hands. My temper flared and then raged on as she screamed the most blood-curdling scream my ears had ever heard before.

I wished desperately that I could be there with her, in her dream, to help fight the demons that she was facing head on. I worked hard to control my temper and to be patient enough to let her work through her dream so that she would not wake up fighting me. She groaned and writhed, then as if she had passed out, her movements and mumbling ceased altogether. That should have given me peace, but now I was not sure if she was safe in her own mind or not.

She didn't wake up for several minutes, but then her eyelids fluttered. She sat up quickly, her breathing not abnormal for the exertion that her dream had put her through, and looked into my eyes panic stricken. "Please tell me that I was dreaming!" she exclaimed, her voice breaking as she finished her request. "Yes," I said guardedly, "you've been asleep for roughly six hours now. Why, love, did you have a nightmare?" She started to sob then, and I knew that I could do nothing but hold her while she cried.

Once the hysteria left her, I lifted her chin and looked as gently as I could into her eyes, "Do you want to talk about it?" "They killed you Josh!" she was suddenly hysterical again, "As a warning to me that I was screwing up by rebelling against them. Oh, my God, they had ripped your wings off! There was so much blood. They flung you around like you were a sack of flour. Please hold me; make the images to go away!" Her sobbing started anew, and I did as I was asked, even though I was shaken down to my core.

I wasn't worried about my safety, but for hers. If her dream was just a representation of her fears, I could live with that; but if it had been a subliminal warning that she had, as she had put it, 'screwed up', I would die protecting her.

I had a feeling that I was totally right in that respect. I would die, and it would be because I was protecting her. That was one ending that I absolutely could live with.

**Author's Note….I keep seeing that some peoples are reading the story, but am only getting reviews from my future wifey, ;) jk. Does everyone else not love the story too???? How about if I try to think of a way that I could give everyone who reviews their very own gift wrapped angel?? Sorry, but since there's only one Josh, he goes to ElfinChakie…..**

**Thanks again to NeverEndingConfusion for the sweet uplifting words…you rock my world too! :D**


	16. Chapter 16

**My last update for this week-ish…..hope it's enjoyable…**

Chapter 16 – Winter

I couldn't believe the ferocity of the dream that tormented me! Even safe in Josh's arms, the images of his deathly limp body haunted my brain. I was extraordinarily happy that he was still beside me when I had woken up; I wasn't sure what I would have done if I had woken alone. I couldn't control the tears or the sobs; the inescapable grief that weighted my chest was unbearable.

I pulled away to look into Josh's face, but the distance in his eyes made me drop my own. He must have been thinking very seriously about something because he had stopped breathing altogether. I nudged him with my elbow, not sure if going without oxygen would hurt him, "Josh, what are you thinking?" I asked, concerned because he looked at me sadly. "Just thinking about the near and distant future," he replied cryptically. I eyed his face, trying to see any possible underlying meanings but finding nothing.

"What about it?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me. "Just thinking about the different ways that this could pan out for us. Wondering if the dream was of your minds own accord, or if it was sent by one of your lovely family members…" his voice trailed off, sounding pained. I flinched when he mentioned my 'family'. Apparently, his thoughts mirrored my own. I sat in his arms, thoughtfully going over the possibility of my mother sending me such a fierce nightmare. I knew that she was capable, but didn't think that she'd stoop so low as to mess with my mind like that.

After a few minutes Josh seemed to relax a little bit. "Would you like some breakfast? You never did eat last night, you must be starving." He joked easily. "Now that you mention it," I said feeling particularly hollow, "I **could** eat, but it is not **totally** my fault that I never ate last night."

My face grew hotter; I knew that I must have been blushing badly, because Josh threw his head back and laughed heartily. He reluctantly let go of me and was off of the bed in an instant; I, on the other hand, had to roll several times to reach the edge of his massive bed.

I took my time getting his shirt back on and buttoned up. I walked lazily down the hallway, only half interested in the closed doors to either side of it. Suddenly remembering that I had not yet used the bathroom this morning, I cautiously opened the first door to my right; luckily, it was a bathroom.

I ducked in and sat there for a minute, reveling in the fact that I wasn't bruised quite as badly as I should have been, but my muscles were aching just the same. I got up, feeling the burn in my thighs, marveling as to why they would hurt like this; I hadn't fought Timothe with my legs, just my arms. For that matter, my legs weren't involved in any strenuous activity last night either. I touched my inner thigh, wincing as I felt like I had pinched myself.

"Hmmm," I thought aloud, "odd…" I trailed off, instantly smelling the aroma of bacon, eggs and toast wafting through the air. My stomach whined loudly, as if to tell me to hurry up. I smiled, but started out the door, almost forgetting to flush. I turned around, flushed the toilet, and turned to face the door again, only to be startled by the surprised look on Josh's face as he rounded the corner.

"Oh," he gasped, "I was sure that I had shut that door and thought that you had fallen back asleep in the room!" He laughed deeply again, "I'm so sorry, I'm not used to having someone else here with me; it's kind of disconcerting." I couldn't do anything but nod my head stupidly, my mouth still hanging open; he was standing only about a foot away, dressed casually in jeans, but no shirt. He chuckled low in his chest, seemingly to be self-conscious.

I walked towards him and the door, moving him back as I moved, so that maybe I could eat before the food got too cold or wasted altogether. He took my hand and walked me the rest of the way down the hall, seemingly lost in the warmth of my hand.

The smell of the food got more potent the closer we got to the kitchen. He turned to me, bending down to kiss my lips; lingering long enough to brush his lips against mine, and my stomach protested angrily as I reached out to touch his face. I tried to ignore it, to try and lose myself in the moment, and blushed when my stomach groaned angrily.

"It seems your stomach has a different idea for morning activities than we do." He murmured seductively, his eyes smiling brightly again. I shrugged halfheartedly, wanting to go back to his room almost as much as I needed to eat. I winked at him, "Well, maybe so, but if we have enough time between breakfast and Samuel's witch boot camp, maybe…." I let my thought trail off suggestively.

He frowned slightly at my mention of Samuel, and I wondered if I had said something wrong, but then he smiled, "I almost forgot he was coming over today. He'll be here soon, probably before you finish eating, but he won't be here all day. He'll want you to train some with me; you know, as an incentive to manifest your powers better." I blushed again, as we started to walk slowly again towards the delicious smell of the food waiting for me.

I smiled as I walked into the room, seeing the placement that he had set for me. A blue china plate had been laid out brimming with the eggs and bacon. A smaller white plate was off to the left side of the blue one, several pieces of buttered toast stacked carefully on it. To the right of the big plate, was a wine glass full of orange juice, beside a smaller goblet of milk.

The preparation time he took for this must have been agonizing. As if reading my mind, he made a small cluck in his throat, "I'm sorry that this is so roughly done; I don't have much practice cooking…" his voice sounded sheepish for a second. I looked up to look at his beautiful face, which was now a warm pink, the blush rising steadily in his cheeks. "No," I breathed, "this is absolutely perfect; really beautiful!" His eyes lit up like a tree on Christmas and he smiled at me, "I'm glad that you like it! I tried kinda hard to fix it up for you; I know you must have had really fancy meals at your parent's house." He looked forlornly at me for a moment.

I shuddered at the memory of eating alone every morning; my family had been too busy to eat together in the evening, much less in the morning. "Yeah, you'd be surprised how little I miss the meals at that house." I laughed politely and sat down at the bar where my plate had been set. "Would you prefer to sit at the table? I didn't think about setting it there," he mumbled to himself, sounding more like he was fussing at himself that stating a fact. "No!" I stopped him short, "This is perfect, I couldn't have asked for a better looking breakfast."

Picking up the fork, I smiled up at his face, which brightened at my smile. I got a bit of the eggs on the fork, and stuck it in my mouth, trying to ignore that he was watching me eat. "Wow, these are actually **very** good!" I exclaimed around the mouthful of eggs. I had tasted breakfast prepared by gourmet chefs that didn't have half the flavor that this one did. I was pleasantly surprised, though I'm not sure why; I should have had higher expectations for Josh.

He stood on the other side of the bar, an expectant smile on his face as he bent down to watch my face as I ate. I quickly downed the eggs, bacon and toast. I didn't realize until after I finished that I had not touched the juice or the milk, but I felt like my stomach couldn't possibly hold any more.

I leaned away from the table, rubbing my pleasantly miserable tummy. He looked at me and grinned, "Not a big fan of orange juice or milk are we?" "Oh," I sighed, feeling my overfull stomach pressing against my bellybutton, "I love them both, but I swear that I couldn't fit in a grain of sugar, if someone made me." I made a face, and he chuckled.

"Well, you know, breakfast **is** the most important meal of the day," he said winking at me, "Plus, you are going to need all the energy that you can get when it comes to your training with Samuel." I looked warily in his direction, training with Samuel did not sound like my idea of a good time. I managed a weak laugh, "Is he going to be that tough on me?" "He just has high expectations. He will push you to do the very best that he knows you are capable of." A twinkle in eyes caught my attention.

I gulped noisily and knew that today was going to test the very fabric I was made of, but went back to the bedroom to manifest some clothing for myself to wear. I settled on a pair of ripped jeans and a sports bra, and then walked out to meet my destiny head on.

**An – So I never read much of anything that involves the main characters using the bathroom….thought it would be humorous to have Josh walk in on Winter….**

**I thought the idea of Josh cooking her the first breakfast that she could actually enjoy was very inspired….I laughed a good bit of my way through this chapter…as I hope you do as well! Have a good week all!!**


	17. Chapter 17

Sorry for such a long absence from updating, life has once again kicked my rear…mercilessly.

Enjoy….Love you! :D

Chapter 17 – Joshua

I was content that she had enjoyed the breakfast that I had prepared for her. I felt slightly bad that I had not thought of making a big deal out of the meal; it probably would have been nice for her to eat at the table. She had tried so hard to make me feel better about the whole situation, but in retrospect, I think that actually made me feel worse.

I fought hard to put up a happy front, going to the happy place in my brain when I needed to smile. I worried constantly about her training with Sam; I knew deep down that he wouldn't hurt her purposely, but I had no way of knowing how quickly this could become serious.

I fretted silently, wondering if it were to come down to bloodshed, which side would I take? I intensely owed Sam my life for leading me to Winter, but could I stand idly by and watch him hurt her?

As if hearing my thoughts, my front door swung open and Samuel stepped into the living room, "No, it won't be necessary, she won't be harmed." He mumbled as he eyed me. "Good," was all I could manage to grumble back. Irritation and embarrassment turned my face a brilliant shade of red that he seemed to enjoy fiercely.

He turned his gaze onto Winter, and I watched as she visibly curled inward on herself in what resembled fear or anticipation. I snarled at the image before me, instantly furious at Sam for scaring her so badly. He cocked his head at her reaction to his arrival and said soothingly, "Child, why are you frightened of me? I don't intent to dispose of you, just tweak your abilities."

"Well, I am not sure what to expect out of this," she said bemusedly, "I don't know if this is going to change who I am…." Her voice trailed off sadly as she finished her sentence. "I assure you, beautiful witch, you will be exactly as before," he crooned, "just more powerful and better able to protect yourself."

He reached out with sure fingers and tilted her chin up to look her square in the eyes, "Would I lie to you?" That seemed to confirm it for her; she smiled, looked directly into the depths of his chocolate brown eyes and said firmly, "Well then, let's turn me into some big, bad, powerful witch." Even with her smile, I felt cold and hollow inside as he backed away from her then crouched to spring.


	18. Chapter 18

Soooo…….

Here's my rating disclaimer: This scene has a very explicit sex scene, so if you are under the age of 18 or don't like some smutty goodness, please read no further. In the chapters to follow, there is also heaping big amounts of smut….squeamish readers, quit reading here.

Enjoy.

Chapter 18 – Winter

I stood looking stupid, a blank expression on my face as Samuel crouched a few feet from me. I did the only thing my numb brain would allow; I giggled. He snarled at me from his hunkered down position and questioned, "You stand face to face with an angel that could easily destroy you, yet you giggle like you find it funny??" The giggle choked off in the back of my throat when I realized that he thought that I had intended to upset him.

I held out my hands apologetically and looked at his face worriedly, "I meant no harm, Samuel. Surely you could see that my nerves had gotten the best of me. I meant you no disrespect. What should I do now?" I was certain that I would do what was necessary to make this situation better for everyone. "Protect yourself, enchantress," he hissed as he lunged at me.

I watched him coming straight at me, my mind whirring quickly through what I should do. I felt a warm heat building up in my midsection, getting progressively hotter. I flinched internally as the heat became uncomfortable, but continued to assess the situation. My only conclusion was to hold my hands up to protect myself; I put them in front of my face and a blinding flash filled my vision.

I swore aloud because only I could TRY to protect myself, but disable myself instead. When my vision cleared, I looked on in astonishment as Sam lay against the far wall, looking rather pissed. "Did I do something wrong?" I whispered as Sam looked on angrily, resembling a kid who had just lost a fight with the class bully.

I heard Josh's loud guffaw and whirled to face him, "Should I take that as a 'no'? Is Samuel okay, or is he hurt?" I tried to be as compassionate as possible, remembering that **he** was the one who attacked first.

"He'll survive." Josh answered me, still chuckling. I smiled then turned to Samuel, who was now picking himself up from the floor slowly, stretching his muscles out to make sure that I hadn't hurt him. He glared at me and I had to swallow down the anxiety that was working its way up my throat.

"Good," Samuel said gruffly as he picked himself up off of the floor, "Now, let's try an illumination charm."

I looked at him a bit doltishly, "Oh, an illumination charm." In my head, I am thinking, "What the hell is an illumination charm?!" I feel panicked to the point of throwing up, but somehow, I maintain my composure. Samuel stood waiting for me, but I stood rooted to the hardwood floor, waiting for his guidance.

"Well," he said slightly impatient, "what are you waiting for?" I couldn't help but feel the blood flow hotly in my cheeks, "For you to tell me what it is and how to do it." I felt totally moronic as his face betrayed his feelings. I could tell that he was trying to tell if I was joking or not. I most certainly was not; I am a novice at these things.

"Illumination charms are used for a numerous amount of purposes," he stated almost clinically, "for protection, for visual help, to help restore health. It just depends on what it is needed for. For instance," he said in a rather clipped tone, "Josh has been wounded, how would you tend to him?" I was shocked that he had brought Josh into this in such a negative light. I could have sworn that Josh was there only to give witness to the training process. "But he's not wounded," I responded, getting pissed at the idea of Josh being hurt.

Samuel started to whisper something under his breath, but all I was able to catch was "Sorry Josh." He looked at me somewhat proud of whatever he had accomplished, "He is now."

I spun dizzily, and met Josh's pained and tear-filled eyes, bringing memories of the violent nightmare that my own mother had sent to me. A rage built up in my chest so quickly that my lungs and heart felt ready to burst.

I spotted the blood that had started pooling on the ground from under Josh's left shoulder, and my vision went red and black tinged. Spots danced merrily in y sight; I felt I might be ill. In a swift movement, that would not be perceptible to human eyes, I blasted Samuel with a bright blue charge from my outstretched hands and whirled to face Josh and knelt beside my fallen angel.

I gingerly rolled him off of his back into my lap and gasped when I saw that one wing was missing, leaving a very nasty and painful looking wound, from which blood was still flowing rapidly from. I laid my hands over the wound, not knowing what else to do, and squeaked at his loud hiss of pain; I imagined taking his pain into myself, and his wing growing back, leaving him in perfect condition. I looked down at him, and was shocked to see a lilac colored aura encircling his wound, bright white feathers sprouting effortlessly from the hole.

I rolled him back onto his back and looked into his eyes which were now serene; but then howled in agony as my back opened up with a force I'd never known. In a flash, we had traded places; I felt something hot and sticky pool wetly beneath my back.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!" Josh demanded angrily, losing his control quickly, shaking as he looked into Samuel's bewildered eyes. "I did nothing to her!! This is something that she must have done to herself!" I heard the astonishment in his voice, but could not see his face; it someone had placed a white veil over my vision.

I felt someone gently roll me over, and heard an audible gasp and someone say, "IT'S IMPOSSIBLE!! There's no way that she could invoke her powers in that way! The martyr charm hasn't been manifested in a century of centuries!"

Josh's beautiful but panic-stricken voice caressed my ears; I knew that the terror in his voice should have scared me, but his voice was soothing; it held me delightfully unable to move or speak, only listen. "What martyr charm, Samuel?! I have never heard of such!"

"It hasn't been invoked in a long time. It was used by martyrs in the days of old when someone they cared for was suffering a terribly painful death; hence the name. People of this day and age don't care for anyone deeply enough to have the knowledge of this charm! She must love you a great deal to take your wounds and torturous pain as her own to put you at ease. I'd never imagined the day that I'd see such unabashed _love_."

"Can we heal her or will she die??" Josh's voice was mournful now, almost a whisper. I felt something wet and warm drop onto my wound and realized a moment too late that Josh was now crying.

"_This is not how it was supposed to be!" _I screamed in my head, _"Josh isn't supposed to be feeling pain or being sad! I didn't mean for him to still be hurting, I only meant to help him!" _

Another drop hit my wound but all I could begin to comprehend was that my wound was now sizzling and stinging. I felt searing agony in my shoulder, and felt myself writhing on the floor like a snake.

"Congratulations, Josh," Samuel said proudly, "you yourself, are ridding her body of her wounds and pain. The tears you cry are acting as a miracle serum to clot the veins and seal the skin. She will only have a scar in that place by morning. I have seen the intensity of your love for each other. I will cut a deal with you Josh."

"Anything," Josh swore in relief.

"I know how you can be with her; be allowed to marry her. All you have to do is deal with a small reassignment. Winter will be safe with me while you guardian over another person for a very short time. Then you two shall be married." "How long is a 'very short time', Samuel?" Josh asked skeptically. "Ten years. For that time, you will not even be allowed to see Winter," Sam answered quietly.

Everything went black as I heard Josh explode into a series of curses.

__________________________________________________________

When I awoke, Josh was lightly tracing something on my left shoulder. "Talk about body modification," he chuckled sourly. "What are you fussing about, Josh?" I was curious about the 'body modification' that had made him so sarcastic.

I crawled away from him and off the bed to stand in front of the large set of mirrors that stood before me. "I look no different, Josh," I scolded playfully, spinning a graceful circle to emphasize my point. In the middle of the spin, something shiny caught my attention. I turned my back to the mirror and looked over my left shoulder to gaze at it in the glass. I inhaled sharply as the memory of that morning flooded through my mind. I rubbed my trembling fingers over the rough skin there.

I was utterly aghast as I looked at the 'scar' from my martyr charm. Under my still shaking fingers was a glittering silver scar in the perfect shape of angel wings.

"Huh," I huffed out as I stared at the scar; proof that I had saved Josh's life, as he had saved mine. I was so absorbed in looking at my shoulder that I didn't notice when Josh walked up to me, watching me watching myself in the mirror.

"I think it's kind of pretty," he whispered in my ear, causing me to tremble, "it's like it was meant to be there." He let his fingers trace over the scar slowly, driving me insane.

"Where's Samuel?" I asked, my voice quivering with anticipation of possible alone time with Josh. "He left over an hour ago when it was apparent that you were going to be out for awhile. He figured it would be best to let you rest." His eyes were dancing with the same anticipation that I felt.

That was all the prodding that I needed as I crushed my mouth to his, entangling my hands in his hair. Josh moaned as I pressed my body to his. I let my tongue dance over his lower lip, relishing in his sweet breath as it filled my mouth. I felt his body react to mine and I knew right there that there was nothing strong enough to tear me away from him at that moment.

I let my hands roam over his muscled chest, savoring the feeling of his smooth skin, the hardness of the muscles. His breath hitched as I hooked one finger in the waistband of his jeans. With my other hand, I expertly unbuttoned and unzipped him, moving the hand in, feeling the satin of his boxers.

He pulled away from me and looked deep in my eyes. I felt the muscles in my lower stomach tighten as I saw the flame smolder in his eyes. "I'm not sure that we should be doing this now," he said, his voice husky with emotion.

"Why not?" I countered, my own need making me uncomfortable with the sheer force of it. "We are in desperate need of a talk. There have some new developments that Sam thought that we need to discuss. It involves both of us, so I think that we need to take some time to mull it over." He replied, his voice still giving him away; he was as aroused as I was.

I hugged my body closer to him, "Screw new developments. We don't need anything more than this right now." I moved my hand down his jeans, cradling him to emphasize my point. He throbbed in my palm and I knew that I had won.

He growled as his mouth crashed down on my own, his hands wrestling with my sports bra, giving up then working their way down my sides. I shuddered as the feelings washed over me anew. Giving in to my animalistic urges, I grabbed his biceps and drove him to the bed, pushing him onto the soft down.

In a fluid movement, I had his jeans lying on the floor. I leaned back so that I could fully appreciate his masculine beauty. I started at his head and worked my way down, caressing him with my eyes, but was only able to get to his hips. When I saw how he strained against his boxers for me, I felt throbbing of my own deep in my walls.

I pounced on him, feeling him react to me which did nothing but make me more aroused. God, was that even possible? I felt wet enough that I was afraid of slipping off of the bed. I ran two fingers under the waistband of his boxers and tugged them down as quickly as I could.

He sprang loose of his boxers and I dove, taking him the whole way into my mouth. His back arched, pushing himself farther into my mouth and I hummed appreciatively. A loud moan escaped his lips as he let himself fall fully onto the bed again. "Winter, you have no idea…" he trailed off, his eyes rolling back into his head.

I smiled around his erection, knowing that I had him exactly where I wanted him. I continued to suck on him for a little bit, letting my tongue trace its way around the head, tasting the cum that had begun to seep out. When I knew that he was about to get off, I slowed down, making sure that he saved that for later. I had bigger plans than that.

I stood up from him at the foot of the bed, moving my sports bra leisurely over my head, my breasts bouncing loose of the material. I watched his reaction as his eyes smoldered and his cock waved as he strained to not jump up from the bed.

I cautioned him with my eyes as I backed up another step and slowly pulled my own jeans down. I turned my back to him, hooking my thumbs into the top of my thong. I played with him, pulling one side down then the other as I pulled the first side back up. I did that a few times, bending slightly at the waist, sticking my butt closer to him.

I heard him groan as I continued to tease him before finally sliding the silky material over my thighs to my feet. I turned slowly to him, nervous for the first time, and let his eyes roam over my body. I tried on my most seductive smile and lifted one eyebrow, "Like what you see?"

I wiggled my hips at him, suppressing a squeal as he sat up, quickly grabbing me and pulled me down on top of him. "You have no idea how much I like what I see." He breathed into my ear, making me tremble at the new feelings, "If I had my way, I'd keep you like this all the time. It turns me on so much." He rubbed his still moist cock against me to prove it to me.

I lifted myself from him, placing one knee on each side of him. I pleaded with my eyes for him to let me be in control for just a little while longer. I had heard of first times being painful and I just wanted to make sure that if anyone lost control, it would be me.

With one hand, I steadied his still throbbing penis and slowly lowered myself onto it. I hesitated as I felt it touch my opening, reveling in the sensations that rolled through me. Unconsciously, I swirled my hips, playing with the head. I heard him suck in a breath as he gave in to his own pleasurable feelings.

I pushed down slowly onto him, feeling even hotter as I felt his length penetrate me; and moaned loudly as he pressed into my far wall. I was pleasantly surprised that there was no pain as I slid up and down his shaft. I rode him for a few seconds, my head back, and my mouth agape.

"Damn, Winter, you are so wet," he growled at me, "This feels even better than your mouth…I didn't even think that it was possible." His voice made me quiver, making me hornier for him. "Talk to me," I urged, "it's making me horny." He grabbed my hips to stop me for a moment so that he could look into my eyes. "What should I say? I've never done this before, so I don't have a clue." He admitted bemusedly.

"Talk dirty, surely you have heard someone talk dirty before?" I was getting desperate, sitting here with him inside me and me not able to move. "Um," he said, thinking deeply, "oh! I got it!" He relaxed his grip on my hips and lay back on the bed letting me get back into the rhythm of riding him.

"Fuck, Winter," he began, "your pussy is so tight. I love the way it feels sliding up and down my dick." He opened his eyes and looked at me, "How was that?" My muscles were tightening while he was talking to me, "Oh. My. Gawd! Don't stop!" I commanded him. "Okay," he said, a smile playing on his lips, "I bet you love the feeling of my rock hard cock in you don't you?" He bounced me a few times, forcing himself in as far as he could go, and a whimper escaped my lips. "Yesss," I moaned at him feeling my orgasm building in me.

"I bet you'd love it more if I were on top and playing with that juicy hard clit of yours, wouldn't you?" he teased. I was beyond being able to form a coherent sentence, so I just nodded. I rode him harder, rocking my hips back and forth over his, feeling him hit my G-spot several times. "I'd love to fuck you from behind. To be able to watch my dick going in and out of that gorgeous pussy would drive me insane. I wanna lick at your slick folds, tongue your clit and stick my tongue up in you; taste your flavor."

I started crying out as my orgasm washed through me, his following immediately. I pulled him out of my cum drenched pussy and licked the sticky cum off of him. I loved the way we tasted together. He reached down and grabbed my shoulders, lifting me up to him. "Come rest with me for a while." He said, still slightly out of breath.

I curled up against his chest, tears spilling down my cheeks. I was confused as to why I was crying; I wasn't ashamed of what we did but was crying like I was. He looked down into my face with a calm expression but seeing my tears, he was suddenly on alert.

"What's wrong? Did I do something wrong? Did I hurt you?!" he didn't pause between questions to let me answer them. I laughed through my tears, "No, I am just so happy right now. Actually I am so totally elated, that I feel a bit hysterical."

He looked at me as if he were worrying about my mental wellbeing. "I think we should do something fun tonight to celebrate your first day in training. I can order in food and a movie or two." He suggested hugging me closer.

"Well, I do have an idea. I keep hearing about Club Euphoria; I think we should **go out** tonight to celebrate, if that's okay with you." I asked, angling my face to look at his better.

"It's fine with me if that's what you want to do," he said, seemingly happy that I was feeling better. "It is." I replied simply, "I'm going to need some time alone in here to get ready. If you want, you can go arrange a cab pickup in an hour and get ready yourself. I hear that the men wear slacks and button down shirts."

I winked at him as he got up and walked out of the room. I smiled in secret satisfaction that he seemed to have a few problems getting his legs to work right. I sat up quickly, too quickly, and then had to lay back down to get the room to stop spinning. I wondered in amusement that the last time I felt this lightheaded was when I gave blood at a school blood drive.

I slowly sat up, inching myself to the end of the bed. Swinging my legs over the edge of the bed, I thought about what I should wear. I thought back to my first night here in his apartment and the dress that I had made appear at my will. I wished it back into existence, feeling giddy again as my empty hands were filled with black silk.

'Hmmm,' I thought, 'now I need shoes.' As soon as I thought the thought, a cute pair of black peep toed stilettos encased my feet. I took them off as I realized that I probably would need to get a shower before getting dressed.

I bounded out of the bed, and squeaked when my legs wouldn't fully support my weight. I giggled light-headedly as I steadied myself and waited for the strength to return to my legs.

I rushed into the bathroom, leaving the door wide open, jumped into the shower, and washed myself quickly. Not forgetting my hair, I rapidly washed and conditioned it. I jumped back out of the shower, toweled myself off and threw a robe on so that I could finish my hair.

I stood in front of the mirror and blow dried my hair. When it was sufficiently dry, I grabbed my curling iron, curling large sections at a time. By the time I was done, I noticed that my make-up was already laid out for me as well. "I could totally get used to these powers," I giggled.

I picked up my smoky grey shadow, applying it expertly to make my eyes shaded and mysterious. I laughed out loud at the thought of me being mysterious after what had transpired earlier, and then picked up my eyeliner. When I was done with that, I looked at my several different colors of lipstick. I had everything from earthy browns to innocent pinks to seductive reds. To keep up the tempting illusion; I picked my favorite fire engine red. It complimented the way I had done up my eyes and I sighed when I looked in the mirror.

Who was this vixen who was glowing at me in my reflection? I didn't even know if I knew myself anymore. "I'll think about that later," I said quietly as I turned and walked back into the bedroom where my clothes still lay.

I slipped the tight silk on over my head and then reached to the side to the zipper to zip myself up. I stood straight up and slipped into my shoes, feeling a bit like a princess about to go to the ball with the fairy tale prince. I walked over to the mirror to inspect the final product.

I smiled my most enticing smile, and gasped. For once I looked gorgeous, even stunning. I was thrilled that Josh would have a beauty on his arm tonight; he deserved so much more than that.

I walked down the hall as quietly as my shoes would allow me to. When I reached the end of the hallway and the entrance to the living room, my breath caught in my throat. Josh was so beautiful that my heart ached and I felt like I could cry again. His white button up shirt was buttoned only halfway and tucked into a black pair of slacks. Black dress shoes adorned his feet and finishing off his look perfectly was his tousled hair.

He turned toward me when he heard me, and he stood rooted to the carpet, entranced by the sight of me. I ran to him, flinging myself recklessly into his arms and kissed him. His cologne was intoxicating. "Nope, we are staying here," he groaned into my mouth, "I can't have you out in public like this…I may just rape you on the sidewalk."

I giggled as I kissed him back. "You look just as indecent as I do tonight; no one should ever look so damned good." I pulled back as I looked at him in the eyes; a familiar smoldering began anew in my depths. I forced myself to calm down, "So, when exactly is the cab getting here?"


	19. Chapter 19

Hey all! Here's another update for you!  I will give you plenty of fair warning; I am finally getting vacation from my hell of a job. I won't be updating near as often as I am finally running out of chapters that I have prewritten. I think I have 3-ish chapters before you will be reading it as I write it. Please have patience and faith….Josh and Winter appreciate it! 

Enjoy, have fun!

Chapter 19 – Joshua

I helped Winter out of the limo, eyeing the little black dress that she wore.

I noticed how the crowd waiting in line at the front door eyeballed us skeptically as we walked right up to the bouncer.

I had never been here before, but Sam had pulled some strings to get us VIP reservations. Personally, I would have liked to have stayed home and celebrated her first successful training session by holding her by the fireplace, but Winter wanted to get out and experience the city 'at its best' as she put it. I don't see how she saw this as the 'best' of my lovely city.

I had heard through other people's thoughts that club Euphoria was a place superficial people went to get drunk and feel important.

"I wonder who the hell she is," one jealous woman said, her tone instantly judgmental, "for her to be on **his** arm **here** should be some sort of sacrilege. It is taking some of the cool points away that Paul is just going to let her walk in without having to wait in line like the rest of us; we are much hotter than she is and we have been waiting in this line for **hours**."

I looked at her surgically altered face, and scowled. She must have taken the scowl for something other than what it was; she winked at me and licked her lips. I made a show of rolling my eyes at the two-bit whore as I lifted my chin defiantly in the air and guided Winter past the blue velvet ropes.

We strode down the dimly lit hallway, the end of the hall pulsing with the strobe lights in the adjacent room.

Winter gasped in astonishment as we entered the large room, her eyes taking in the scene before her.

Several large flashing lights moved gracefully around the ceiling, making tight circles around the strobe lights that speckled the large ceiling.

She smiled at the garishly colored mesh of bodies dancing on the expansive floor, lingering on one couple in particular that seemed oblivious to everyone but each other. The way they touched each other was illegal in most states, and definitely was too vulgar for my Winter to be witnessing firsthand.

I pulled her away, leading her to our table for the evening.

Before I could get her seated properly, a waiter came by and asked if we would like any refreshments.

I looked at her, wondering what she would order.

I did not have to wait long as she looked at him straight in the eye and said clearly, "I will have a Cosmopolitan, please." "Ma'am," the waiter said kindly, "you needn't be so polite. I have come accustomed to being treated as a servant, nothing more."

She smiled intensely back at him, "Well, some people should have more respect for those who serve. Without you all, **they**," she gestured to the random people scattered around the club, "would have to get their own drinks and food, but wouldn't that social suicide?" She winked at him and his smile got degrees warmer, "One Cosmopolitan, coming right up." With that, he disappeared quickly.

I stared at her in amazement, taken aback that she had disarmed the waiter with such ease that he hadn't even thought to card her for the drink order.

"Wow," I breathed, "apparently, I'm not the only one who you quickly enchant." My eyes glazed over with wonder at the woman sitting an arm's length away from me.

Her smile got wider, threatening to take over her entire face, "Well, it **is** in my bloodline, right?"

I nodded at her like a bobble head toy; I used much energy to stop the motion, realizing that I looked ridiculous.

Her drink was back in a flash, and she quickly downed it after mumbling something about 'liquid courage'.

She glanced at me from under thick lashes. I marveled at her choice of makeup, the smoky grey eye shadow, thick mascara and heavy black eyeliner made her face even more seductive, even if she had not worn siren red lipstick.

"Would you like to dance with me?" she asked suggestively. "I'm not so sure that I would make an ideal partner for this type of music," I replied sadly, "My dancing expertise is pretty much limited to waltzes."

She laughed lightly, her trilling laugh putting me instantly at ease, "You couldn't be much worse than any of the other guys I've danced with." "You'd be surprised," I laughed back then took her hand from across the table, "well, you can't say you weren't warned." She batted her dark eyes at me and grinned, "Well, yes, to be fair, I was aptly warned."

We walked hand in hand briskly to the dance floor where a faster, more bass-filled techno song started.

She was quick to pick up the pace, moving in perfect rhythm with the music. I was mesmerized at the way her hips swayed in perfect synchronicity to the pounding bass. She turned her back to me, dipping low in front of me, then coming back up slowly, moving against my pelvis with enough pressure that I ached for her instantaneously.

She continued to dance provocatively in front of me, bending over, giving me a perfect view of her thong clad butt, then tossing her hair back as she straightened up. The perfume that floated by my face was intoxicating.

I tried really hard to get into the moment, and did what I had seen some of the other guys on the dance floor do; I lightly tapped her on the butt with the palm of my hand. I felt retarded for doing such a demoralizing act, but wasn't able to brood for more than a tenth of a second. She squealed in delight and turned around in a fluid movement and locked lips with me.

I broke the kiss when I realized that we had several hundred sets of eyes on us. The couple seated closest to where we danced was watching us lustfully.

I looked closer and saw that the man had his hand under the table and was slipping his fingers into the woman with him that sat with her mouth agape and eyes closed. I quickly scanned his mind and was dismayed that he was imagining that it was Winter that he was pleasuring.

I couldn't take the imagery any longer, and led her back to our table. I glared back at the man, but was instantly relieved that he had found another woman to fantasize about.

"Wow!" Winter squealed when we were both seated, "That was sooo much fun! Are we going to dance again before we leave?!"

Her eyes sparkled, alluring me into feeling the excitement that she felt. "Absolutely!" I answered deliriously, "I mean, that is if you want to." I winked at her, "If I didn't embarrass you too much."

She flushed and leaned close to me, the delicate smell of the alcohol on her breath intoxicating me further, "You didn't embarrass me, unless you consider being horney embarrassing."

The warmth from her cheeks pulled me closer, and I lightly kissed her on her cheek, gently teasing her lips with the stubble on my cheek. She leaned closer to me, a quiet breath escaping her lips.

Her eyes were glazed with excitement (and most likely alcohol), but she smiled, making her eyes glimmer.

"Josh, I love you," she barely slurred.

My stomach knotted up then dropped to my feet. I had waited forever to hear this from her, but I couldn't be sure if it was the Cosmo talking or if it was genuinely her.

"I am sure that you love a **lot** of things right now, Winter," I said feeling slightly drunk myself at her admission.

"No," she said, light irritation in her voice, "I really do. My life has never made sense until you showed up. Now everything is just lining up."

The corners of her eyes crinkled up when she smiled at me.

My heart thumped unevenly in my chest as I processed the information that she felt almost as strongly as I felt for her. I tried desperately to wrap my brain around enough of the information to make a coherent sentence to assure her that she wasn't the only one to feel that way, but I was only able to manage to mumble.

"It's okay if you don't feel the same way for me now, Josh," she reassured happily, "but you will. We have all of my life to work on that."

My heart thumped unevenly at that thought. She thought about me being with her forever too. I didn't know if I had the heart to tell her now about Samuel's demand. "I don't need to work on it." I said smiling at her dazzling face, "I love you more than anything in this entire world and you know that to be a fact."

"Yeah, I do know." She said, her eyes shining at me, "Could I have another drink?" "If that's what you want," I answered her. I was disinclined to keep her from anything that would make her happy now considering what I was about to discuss with her. I signaled the waiter and he quickly brought another drink for her.

Before he left, she grabbed his arm, downed the drink and asked for yet another one. I was foreseeing in the near future that she would be hunched over one of the toilets in the apartment. "I don't know why I'm so thirsty!" she exclaimed as she downed half of the third drink. "It's the alcohol, it dehydrates your body," I explained to her, "but seeing as how you keep drinking, I think we should talk now about what Sam wants me to discuss with you."

From across the table, she eyed me wearily, "If it's something Samuel wants **you** to talk to me about, it's bad, isn't it? Lemme guess," she slurred, yep, no more alcohol for her tonight, "my big bad mother is coming to get me and you guys think that I can't handle her and protect myself. Is that it? Oh, or is it Timothe? He can officially kiss my ass."

My heart jumped into my throat as I considered the idea that the most disturbing outcome that she could come up with was them. She'd never even entertain the idea of me leaving her; it was an impossibility for her. "No," I started slowly, "Samuel said that if we could endure a trial separation that he would allow us to marry."

She looked like the pieces were finally clicking into place, "What is his idea of a 'trial separation'?" she asked her voice high pitched with fright. "Ten years," I mumbled to her, unable to meet her eyes, "I would be reassigned for ten years. He would take my place here."

"**NO**!!!!!" she shouted, standing up in defiance, "We can find a way around it! Can't we Josh?" she said, her voice lower now that we had half of the club's patrons' attention riveted on us.

"Sit down," I said, suddenly tired, "and I'll talk to you. I won't say another word until you are sitting again." I was rubbing my forehead, realizing that I had my first headache. Wow, what a time for that. She sat down immediately, her eyes unmoving on the tablecloth.

"There is no way around it; either we are together and he allows us to marry, after we are apart for ten years, or we stay together and he destroys me after a while. I have already exhausted all of the possibilities with him earlier today. I told him that I had to talk to you before I gave him our official decision." I explained my voice raw with emotion.

She sat silently for a little while, just staring at the tablecloth. I was getting anxious by her silence, wondering if I had made a mistake by telling her now. "Please say something **before** I go insane," I pleaded with her.

When she looked back up at me, my heart stopped; she was crying again. "I think it's time we leave," she said finally, standing up. I walked silently beside her as she walked calmly out of the club. She reached out her hand to me to hold as we got to the door.

We walked out into the cool evening. I was dismayed that it had started raining. I ushered her to the waiting limo, but she stubbornly shook her head. "I want you to walk me home," she said sadly, "I need to feel the rain as we walk. Will your doorman let us in dripping wet?" "He'd better," I said sternly as I paid the limo driver and urged him to leave us there.

We walked in tense silence the few blocks to the building. About a block away, she stopped suddenly, dropping my hand. She stood in the rain, and lifted her face to the clouds, letting the drops of rain wash over her face. I realized then that she was crying again.

I felt like such a failure, this would make the third time that I had made her cry today. I did the only thing that I knew that was in my power to do; I gathered her into my arms and just held her while she cried.

When she finally stopped, her shoulders still shaking as the silent tearless sobs wracked her frame, I looked at her face. "Are you ready to go upstairs and dry off, darling?" I asked, silently worrying about the repercussions of her getting sick from being outside in the rain and cold.

I had to smile as she gave me her response. "As ready as I'm ever gonna be." I took her hand and led her to the front doors of the building.


	20. Chapter 20

My random disclaimer: Lots of smut….sweet smut, but smut nonetheless….in these here chapters, lol. I have ideas for the chapters I currently writing, so don't despair! Hopefully, I will be updating as often as I have been!

I love you SO very much Elfinchakie!  Thank you so very much for being so effing great with this story! *Muah*

Chapter 20 – Winter

As we walked through the lobby, I felt the eyes of everyone on us. Under normal circumstances, that would have given me thrills of pleasure, but these were **not** normal circumstances. Samuel wanted to take Josh away from me! **My Josh!** The reason I live, the reason I breathe!!

I could just imagine what was going through their heads. Josh looked like a God, his hair dripping into his eyes, the white button up shirt he wore soaked and transparent, clinging to his muscles. I smirked in sick satisfaction that even if I didn't get to keep him forever, he was **mine** right now.

The happiness was short-lived as we continued through the immense lobby to the elevator. Josh squeezed my hand and let me lead him into the elevator. As soon as the doors closed, his mouth was on mine crushing to the point of pain. I kissed him back forcefully, terror stricken by the desperation that tainted this kiss.

This kiss didn't feel like our normal kisses; it felt like goodbye. I fought back the tears that stung my eyes to no avail. They ran down my face slowly, increasing the anxiety in my chest. I could tell by the tightening of his muscles that he felt it too.

I haphazardly flung my leg around his waist, wanting as much of him to be touching me as possible. He grabbed me at the top of my thighs and pulled me upward, so that I was sitting on his stomach. I almost laughed.

If someone had seen us, they'd have thought that we were a couple that couldn't wait to have personal time. If only they knew that our seconds were numbered; that thought ripped my heart open and tore it to shreds.

I choked on a sob that broke the connection of the kiss. He ducked his head to look at me evenly in my eyes. I began to bawl uncontrollably as I saw the tears in his eyes; he never once put me down.

I heard the chime that alerted us of reaching our floor and tried to get my legs to work so that I would be able to walk in on my own, but he refused to release me. He walked into the living room still silently crying, my own sobs making enough noise for the both of us.

He continued over to the couch, pausing for a moment possibly thinking about just sitting in the living room until Samuel showed up. I could only speak for myself, but I wanted nothing more than to be in his arms, in his bed, one with him. He looked deep in my eyes and as if reading my mind, gave one sharp nod, turned on his heel and took me to the bedroom.

By the time we reached the door, I had come to an agreement with myself; I **would not** make this worse for him. I would wait until he left me to go to pieces. I pushed the agonizing grief down until it was ignorable, took a deep breath, and smiled into his anguished face.

At the sight of my smile, it seemed he was making his own resolutions; he straightened up and smiled at me. "How long do you think we have until Samuel returns?" I asked trying to sound like my insides weren't breaking apart. "I'm pretty sure that he will stay gone for the night, so that we can talk this out in its entirety." He replied still smiling at me.

"Well, then; it seems like we have some time to be alone, right?" I asked still trying to stop the sniffles; the aftermath of my emotional breakdown. He smiled at me and set me down on the bed, "Yes, we have all night. I dare him to come in a second before noon; I'll let you kick his ass again." I giggled at that memory, still happy that I was able to hold my own against an angel as old as time.

"Don't tempt me; I may just do it as vengeance for the upcoming ten years," I growled, still smiling. He leaned his head down and kissed my lips softly, lingering for several seconds. "Are you sure that this is how you want to spend what could possibly be our last night together?" he asked. His eyes searched my own looking for hidden answers, but finding none. "I've never been surer of anything in my life," I replied fervently, "I want **you**."

That was all that needed to be said. He gave me a lopsided grin, his eyes crinkling at the corners. I let him remove my dress; I wanted tonight to be perfect in our memories. He pulled the silk slowly over my head. I blushed as he sat back on his heels and took in my lingerie, black lace. Like a villain from an old movie, he wiggled his eyebrows at me.

I pasted an obviously over-fake look of horror on my face, crawling backwards up the bed. I couldn't stop the giggle that escaped my lips as he crouched to spring at me. Instead of jumping, he winked, grabbed my ankle and pulled me back down to him, me giggling the whole way back.

He wrapped his arms around me, tenderly unhooking my bra. I sighed as his hands slid the straps over my shoulders and down my arms. Josh stopped for just a moment, his breath catching in his throat as he looked at my breasts. He lovingly touched both of them before putting his mouth on each one, in turn.

I rolled my head back and moaned. My eyes rolled ceaselessly as I basked in the feeling. He then took my thong off as slowly as humanly possible. My nerve endings were on fire; I wanted nothing more than for him to be inside me at that moment. His hands trailed all over my legs, lingering on the more sensitive areas.

My eyes met his as he watched my face as if committing my every reaction to memory. He smiled enticingly, arching one eyebrow at me. "How does that feel?" he asked as he slid a finger into me, making me groan. "Like heaven," was all I could reply. I pushed my thighs together to make him withdraw.

I stood at the end of the bed, close to him. I moved my trembling hands to the first fastened button. Knowing what I wanted done, he reached his hands up to each respective side of his shirt. Pulling with what seemed like no force; he ripped the shirt open, buttons flying in every direction.

My breath hitched as I allowed my eyes to roam over his chest appreciatively. His eyes were still searching my face; it made me feel a little self-conscious. I traced his chest with my still trembling fingers. Lifting my eyes to his, I was pleasantly surprised that his eyes were now closed, lost in the feelings that he was experiencing.

I set to work immediately on his belt, button and zipper. I pulled the slacks and boxers down, not wanting to waste any more time. I smiled at the fact that he was already hard as a rock for me.

I laid down on the bed, opening myself to him; beckoning him to me. He followed me, crawling over my body so that he was looking into my eyes again. I pleaded silently with him; my eyes begging for the delectable contact of our joining.

He leaned down to kiss me, and then slowly lowered himself into me. There was a quick sweet sting, and then I fell down the rabbit hole into swirling waves of rapture. As desperate as we both were, we took it painstakingly slow. I relished in the feeling of his smooth unhurried withdrawal, and held my breath as he leisurely pushed back into me.

I tried frantically to stagger my breathing so that this would last; it would do no good if I passed out right now. Josh kept his eyes on mine, keeping pace with my rocking hips. I smiled at him when he bit down on his lip. The muscles on his arms and back were bunching in his effort to make this as gloriously delicious for me as he could, but I could see the discipline that he used to not drive into me hard. I moaned as the revelation hit me; **he** wanted to please **me**.

I couldn't hold onto myself for long, I felt the climax I'd been holding off fighting for dominance. I unconsciously clutched my walls tighter around him and heard him hiss between his teeth as his own waves began to roll over him. "If you expect me to not let go right now, you need to relax some," he groaned at me, his voice husky from arousal. I grasped him tighter, anxious to feel the luscious feeling of him jerking inside me.

"Just let go, baby," I encouraged in his ear. I held his head firmly so that his ear stayed at my mouth. I continued to moan as the new feelings commenced to overtake me from my holding him so tightly. He shouted my name; his spasms began as he filled me with his warmth. I wasn't too far behind him. I was unrelenting as I ground my hips into his, getting the most out of this that was possible.

"Winter, I love you so much," he whispered in my ear. My muscles started to contract, and he groaned as my walls pulsed around him. "God, Josh, I love you too!" I cried as my orgasm tore through me, leaving me breathless and shaking. He stayed inside me, looking deeply into my eyes as I felt the tears well up again.

What the hell is wrong with me? This is the happiest time of my life, again, and all I can do is cry…**again**. I have got to have brain damage, I reasoned.

At the sight of my tears, Josh started to cry too. He rolled off to my side, taking me into his arms. We laid in silence for awhile, him stroking my back as we both cried. I felt like a hole had opened in my chest that I was powerless to close. I shook with the emotion battering my body; he just held me tighter.

When, at last, I was able to stop the tears, I pulled away and looked at his tormented face. The image of his tear-stained face would haunt me for as long as I lived. I felt his agony down in my core; I knew right then that this must be what it's like to suffer unspeakable pain.

We lay there, unwilling to speak and break the spell that had been cast over us, for hours. We didn't even really notice when the sky started to lighten.

A loud buzzing broke the hold his eyes had on mine. "Now, what the hell?" he spat, getting out of bed, pulling on his pants from last night. I jumped out of bed, grabbing his shirt, forcing my arms through the sleeves and holding the sides of the shirt together. I warmed at the memory of last night, laughing at the wasted buttons lying on the floor.

I refused to be without him for one second, so I followed him down the hall through the living room and to the door. As we got there, the doorbell buzzed loudly again.

Josh yanked the door open irritably and was face to face with a kid that looked right out of high school. The boy took in our appearances, Josh with no shirt, wrinkled slacks and tousled hair, then to me in nothing but a ruined button down shirt, tangled hair and makeup smudged all over my face. The kid and I blushed at the same time; he was as embarrassed as I was.

"What?" Josh asked angrily. I put my arms around him to get him to settle down. "Sorry, what can we do for you?" I said trying to put a bright smile on my face to make up for Josh's rudeness. "Um…" the kid started, "I work for Food Anytime, the local delivery service. A man named Samuel called in an order for this address and paid with a credit card…so here's your food." The poor boy thrust a bag full of white containers into Josh's surprised hands and fled back into the elevator, rapidly pushing buttons.

Josh and I stood there for a moment before closing the door. "Well," Josh said, "what on earth is this?" "I think that its food," I laughed, "You know, you **could** have been nicer to that boy. He was only doing his job." Josh turned to me, his face red. "I didn't have any idea that Sam would do anything like this. I didn't know what he wanted; all I know for certain is that he interrupted me getting lost in your eyes. I can't help it if I'm just a tad irritated."

He looked at me unrepentantly. I couldn't say I blamed him for the irritation. We walked over to the dinner table, and I watched as Josh took out container after container of food. Amazingly, there were six different containers, each with a different kind of food. There was steak and the trimmings in one, breakfast food in another, seafood…the list went on.

Josh got the silverware out of the bag, set the steak in front of me, and set a plate of Italian chicken in front of himself. I watched in amazement as he put the first bite in his mouth, chewing carefully. "I thought you don't eat!"I nearly screamed at him. "I don't **have** to eat, but we **are** able to enjoy food. It's just not necessary for me to stay alive." He said, a smile playing across his face. "Uh." Was all I could reply.

I sat mechanically next to him in front of my steak. I ate automatically, not noticing the flavor of the food. Somewhere in my daydreaming, Josh had went to the fridge and retrieved a bottle of red wine and had poured both of us a glass. I looked down and saw it, "You drink alcohol too??" "Drink to be merry, not to be drunk." He said another smile stealing across his face, and lifted the glass as in a toast then to his lips to take a sip. I was flabbergasted. I had no idea what to say to that.

Silently, I picked up my wine glass and took a good swig to wash down the tasteless meat that seemed to stick in my throat. The knowledge that this may be our last meal together crashed down on my heart. I sat my fork and knife aside, I had lost my appetite; it felt like someone was turning a rusty machete in my gut.

When he saw that I was finished, he too, set down his eating utensils. Wordlessly, he stood up and was at my side. I stood up as well and just stared at him. I wasn't ready for farewell yet. He hugged me tightly, seemingly unable to hide his emotion.

I broke down again. The tears flowed endlessly as I returned his rough embrace.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Okay, so I totally suck….I know this. Anyways, longer A/N at the bottom.**

**Enjoy….the angst starts getting really deep soon…**

Chapter 21 - Joshua

I stood holding Winter in my arms, both of us crying. God! I didn't want her to see me so weak. If I expected her to make it through this separation, we both needed to stay as strong as humanly possible.

My shoulders shook with each strangled sob that escaped my lips and I felt her tears course ceaselessly down my chest. I felt like such a schmuck making her cry so much for the past 24 hours. I didn't like that she was hurting as much as I was and me helpless to stop the hurt for her.

I loosened my grip on her and tilted her face to mine, kissing her lips gently. Her amethyst eyes were red and swollen around the edges, looking quite painful. I kissed each corner of her haunted eyes, tasting her salty tears.

"Would you like to go back to the bedroom until Sam gets here?" I asked quietly. Silently, I was begging her to allow me to be with her again so that I would have something to cling to when I could no longer hold her in my arms. She sniffled and took a deep breath before answering me, "Sure, that would be nice."

I smiled at her, praying that she could be happy for just a little longer today before both of our worlds came crashing down around us. Her answering smile was sad, yet glorious. Supporting the majority of her weight, I led her down the hallway, us leaning on each other.

I pushed the door open, and pulled her with me to the bed. I laid her down as tenderly as I could manage and lay next to her, tracing my fingers lightly over her sullen face.

"What are you thinking?" I asked her, realizing that I was suddenly terrified to hear what was going through her head. "The truth?" she asked, pleading with me. "Yes, I always want you to be honest with me," I said, "even if it may hurt me to know." "I'm thinking of how much it's going to hurt when you leave," she whispered, her voice breaking, "I also wonder if I am going to be able to live through this. How long will it take me to go back to normal? Will there be a day when I can walk in here without breaking down into sobs? If we do go along with this, will you still want me after ten whole years? The list goes on and on…"

I broke at the helplessness in her voice, grabbing her roughly by her shoulders and crushed her to my chest.

"NEVER think for a moment that I would not want you!!" I growled. I couldn't get a grip on the fierceness in my voice and continued angrily, "I love you so much that I feel like there is a five-hundred ton weight crushing down on my chest! I will not be able to leave you if you torment yourself this way. I will never see another woman as long as I have you in my heart. I am so very sorry that we will have to be away from each other for such a long time. It will kill me just as much to be apart from you." I felt the blood pool up in my cheeks; I was terribly embarrassed having to open myself up like that to her.

I dropped my face and twisted my hands uncomfortably in my lap. I wondered if it was okay to feel this way for her; men are supposed to be the strong one in the relationship and here I am sounding like a girl. I never knew that she would be the type to need declarations of love; I also never knew that I'd be put in the situation where I would have to make said declarations.

She looked startled at the ferocity with which I spoke, her hand was on her stomach, her mouth frozen in a silent 'O' of shock. I watched as the color drained out of her face and her skin became the sickliest shade of green. Winter's eyes welled up with tears as her hand flew up to her mouth, clamping down tightly. She all but flew off of the bed, running full speed for the bathroom. I heard her retching violently into the toilet, and I suddenly felt sick myself.

I went after her into the bathroom, rubbing soothing circles into her back with one hand and holding her hair with the other. I was becoming panicky when after several moments she didn't stop throwing up. If she didn't stop soon, she'd be throwing up her stomach lining.

"Baby, please calm down," I urged her, "Take a deep breath for me." Her voice echoed from the toilet bowl, "Just leave me alone for a minute Josh. I don't like you seeing me like this." "I want to be here for you," I replied soothingly, "You aren't feeling well." I felt like a biblical donkey stating the obvious as she finally calmed enough to downgrade to dry heaves.

"Seriously, Josh," she said, "I don't want you to see this…hic…GO AWAY!" Her voice dripped warning and I wanted to laugh at how ferocious she thought she was being.

The talking was apparently helping calm her system down; her dry heaves had almost stopped altogether. "Not likely," I said. I couldn't help the small smile that played on my lips.

She stood up, bracing her hands on the top of the toilet, determined to put a strong front up for me.

I walked over to the sink, grabbing the mouthwash that sat on the counter. I took the few steps back to her to hand it to her and she took it gratefully, taking a swig straight from the bottle. Swishing the liquid around in her mouth, she flinched at the burn of the alcohol in the mouthwash. She leaned over the basin and spit the mouthful out.

"Thanks…" she said, unwilling to meet my eyes. I lifted her chin up so that she could only look into my eyes. "Anything for you my love." I told her, trying to convey the amount of love and devotion I had for her. "Would you like to join me in the shower?" I asked with what I hoped was a seductive smile. She grinned and said, "It would be my pleasure."

I removed my shirt from her shoulders, reveling in the feeling of her soft skin under my hands. She sighed under my touch, trembling slightly. Knowing what I was doing to her was doing things to me.

I remembered with perfect clarity what we had done the past few nights and felt that I was making it more difficult on the both of us by giving myself to her so fully. "How would you like some music?" I purred at her. "Okay," she said and winked at me.

I went through the songs in my head, trying to find the perfect song for right now. I fought with my self-loathing; I'm such a monster for making her miserable on our last day. Sensing my mood, the music started and I almost laughed out loud at the irony of the situation. "I'm Not An Angel" by Halestorm started playing. Filling the air was the sound of melancholy guitars. Not long after, the lead singer's strong voice filled the air:

You made a mistake

On the day that you met me and lost your way

You saw all the signs

But you let it go, you closed your eyes

I shoulda told you to leave

'Cause I knew all the time, you couldn't handle me

But you're hard to resist

When you're on your knees, begging me

I tear you down

I make you bleed

Eternally

Can't help myself from hurting you

And it's hurting me

I don't have wings, so flying with me won't be easy

'Cause I'm not an angel

I'm not an angel

Hate being that wall

That you hit when you feel like you gave it all

I keep taking the blame

When we both know that I'll never change

I tear you down

I make you bleed

Eternally

Can't help myself from hurting you

And it's hurting me

I don't have wings

So flying with me won't be easy

'Cause I'm not an angel

I'm not an angel

I wasn't always this way

I used to be the one with the halo

But that disappeared when I had my first taste

And fell from grace

It left me

In this place

I'm starting to think

That maybe you like it

I tear you down

I make you bleed

Eternally

Can't help myself from hurting you

And it's hurting me

I don't have wings

So flying with me won't be easy

'Cause I'm not an angel

I'm not an angel

Hey……

I'm not an angel

I'm not an angel

I'm not an angel

I'm not an angel

Winter's shoulders shook silently; I swore under my breath that if I had accidentally made her cry, Sam wouldn't have to destroy me, I'd commit suicide. Her shoulders shook harder and finally I heard a sound escape her lovely lips: laughter. She was laughing. THANK GOD! I laughed my rumbling laugh, relieved that she was not crying.

She raised her face to mine, still laughing, tears now escaping her eyes. "Well, that was bullshit, ha-ha!" she chortled. I tilted my head at her, looking at her like she was a bit hysterical, "Sorry about that," I apologized quickly, "it seems that the music picked up on my feelings." I started laughing too seeing the absurdity of the situation. She reached behind me and stroked my wings, making me shiver, "If you **aren't** an angel, then I'm Angelina Jolie."

She removed my pants still chuckling and I reached behind me turning the water on. When I was sure that the water was a sufficient temperature for her, I pulled her in with me to the shower. "I need you to come with me, Ms. Jolie," I joked. She let a cross expression grace her face for a few seconds, but it didn't linger there long.

I grasped the body wash from the solid marble shelf on the wall and squeezed an ample puddle into my hand. I washed her from head to toe, loving the way she moaned when I would hit the secret spots on her only I knew.

She returned the favor by washing every inch of me as well. I felt mildly embarrassed when she got to my penis, the damn thing jumped up like a long neglected puppy. I felt a sigh escape from my lips as she continued to stroke me with her soft soapy hands. I felt my breathing hitch as I felt myself getting closer to spilling myself all over the floor of the shower. "Hell! Don't stop!" I shouted at her as she pumped faster. I thrust harder into her hand, feeling the pressure building up in my balls. "Oh, God!" I yelled as I felt my release explode from me.

I leaned against the shower wall for support feeling suddenly weak in the knees. Winter looked at me shyly while I regained my strength. "Sorry about that," I told her. She then did the most damned sexy thing I had ever seen before; she brought her hand, still sticky with my nut, up to her mouth and licked it all off of her fingers. She finished licking her fingers and smiled saying, "I'm not."

She grinned wickedly at me. "You little slut!" I admonished tenderly, leaning in to kiss her. She giggled, poked me in the stomach and jumped out of the shower. I ran out after her, snatching two towels as I passed them. Wrapping my arm around her waist, I dove onto the bed, already kissing her.

"You know I love you, right?" I asked affectionately. She playfully smacked my arm and replied, "Only as I love you."

I opened my mouth to reply when suddenly a loud roar erupted from the direction of the living room. "**I LEAVE TO LET YOU DISCUSS THE IMPENDING SEPERATION AND COME BACK TO FIND YOU FORNICATING?!?!"** "Oh, shit, Sam's here!" I said jumping up from the bed and grabbed my slacks from the floor.

Winter's face turned a lovely shade of cherry as she flew off the bed, going to the closet and picking out some clothes that I had brought for her. She looked like a child that was just caught having sex by both of her parents _**and **_pastor in the middle of church.

I stopped and bent over laughing. I had to brace my hands on my knees to keep myself from falling over. "What in the hell is so funny??" she asked incredulously. "The look…on your face…priceless!" I gasped out still laughing hysterically. "SHUT UP JOSH!!" she squealed at me, throwing a hanger at me but it just bounced off of my wings, not hurting me in the slightest. I just laughed harder.

Winter yanked on a pair of jeans and a tank top still huffing at me. Her face was even more red, aw, she was angry…that's so cute. I walked over to her and embraced her after wiping the tears from my eyes. "Would it help if I said I'm sorry?" I whispered, instantly aching for her forgiveness. "Yes, but I really don't think that Samuel will be as forgiving as I am…" she responded worriedly.

I refused to let her pessimism transfer to me, I was still floating in the happy euphoria that my body subjected me to after being intimate with Winter. I watched her as she quickly put shoes on her feet with a smirk on my face.

I silently wished for just a few more minutes….or hours…or days with her before Sam ruined my life. I knew it was hopeless, but it was okay to hope.

Right?

**A/N: So, first update in awhile, huh?? I hope you like it….I have had a rough time…My house was broken into on New Year's Day and a bunch of crap was stolen….my laptop being the first thing out of the house…assholes.**

**Anyways, you know how this goes…I'm super addicted to reviews, please just click the button and make the happiest re-re in the world. **


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: I think I am on my last chapter for this story so far…enjoy. **

**To my muses…Elfinchakie and iPunk, I love you 2 so much! Thank you for the kind reviews….iPunk, you owe me a cookie… ;)**

Chapter 22 – Winter

I grabbed Josh's hand and walked side by side with him to meet our very livid destiny. Even from down the hall I could see the steam coming from Samuel's ears. He was so mad that his breathing was hard enough for me to see his chest heave.

Dear God, what have I done??

"So, um," I started, "we, uh, came to our decision, Samuel." My throat felt like it was closing up on me. "Really? I never would have guessed," He replied dryly, "I thought that you two were fornicating like bunny rabbits to celebrate your indecision. I swear if I had known that you two were consummating your relationship, I would have stayed here to keep your thoughts pure. You have _tainted_ one of God's angels, Winter!!!!"

Oh yeah, he's pissed. Wait! Did he say that I **tainted** Josh? I gulped loudly as the tears started streaming down my face again.

I didn't have to wait long for the answer to my mental question as Josh exploded, "**Tainted**?! What we did was beautiful! It was not harmful to either of us!! It was everything!" He trembled with the anger that was coursing through his veins and I truly felt afraid of him for the first time ever.

Samuel roared right back at him, "Of course you would feel that way, Josh! You were one of the fornicators! God meant for physical love to be strictly between…" "Man and wife," Josh finished angrily, "but wasn't it said somewhere that once physical love is established, that technically the consenting parties are then married in **God's** eyes? The only thing that I feel is missing in mine and Winter's union is the ceremony and the vows; she already knows how I feel about her, so it can't get much more official than what it is now! I will love her for the entirety of my existence!"

I inhaled sharply at his loud declaration. Technically we were married in the eyes of God?? I suddenly felt dense for not paying more attention in church when I went with Nicole. I looked into Samuel's eyes with what I imagined looked like dumbstruck terror. All I got in response was a smirk from Sam.

"I'm not sure that your 'wife' feels the same way you do, you stupid, arrogant angel!" Sam said grinning from ear to ear. I felt my rage build in my chest. Not only was Samuel cheapening my feelings for my beautiful Josh, he was belittling him in front of me. He had totally read too far into my reaction to Josh's words.

"Listen to me, you fucking prick!" I said, jumping into Samuel's face, "I couldn't feel any closer to what Josh is feeling right now. HOW DARE YOU say the things you said to him?! I am glad that I have tied myself to him. He is the best thing that could have possibly happened to me. I can't wait until the fucking torture that YOU'VE made necessary is over so that I CAN marry him; have a big honking white wedding!" I struggled to catch my breath so that I could continue to verbally bash him. "I don't care what the hell you have to say about anything Samuel, because at the end of the ten years, we **will** be getting married, so you can just officially kiss my ass!"

I ended my tirade not because I had run out of things to yell at him, but because Josh had grabbed my arm, jerking me roughly to his chest. "I love you so much, Winter!" He confessed to my hair, "If I could have my way, I would rush you off right now to get married."

I smiled through my tears at the lovely picture that his words had painted for me. The only that brought me back to the situation in the living room was that Samuel was clearing his throat angrily.

"Are you two **done** being retarded? If not, I can just send Josh away right now and start the ten years immediately." I shuddered at his words and clung to Josh more tightly.

"Please don't send him away just yet Samuel! I swear that I won't yell at you again! I just don't know how I am going to live without him. Isn't there another way?? Couldn't I just kill my mother or something? You know, a good deed for a good deed?" I didn't realize that I had begun sobbing again until I tried to take a breath. "I wish it were that simple, Winter." Samuel said solemnly, "This isn't my idea of a good time. I don't like hurting either of you. Josh is like my son, and you are now like a precious daughter to me." "Words!!" I screamed at him. "If I did not truly mean what I said to you, I would have not offered to watch over you myself. I could have easily let Mark watch over you." At the mention of Mark's name, Josh growled fiercely from his chest.

"Over my wingless body!" Josh exclaimed, "Mark is to be **nowhere** near Winter! Not now! Not EVER!!" I pulled my head away from his chest to look into his eyes, hoping to convey my confusion.

"Mark is a good angel, Josh." Samuel chided. "Mark is a womanizing idiot! He screws every woman he guards!! I'd kill him with my bare hands if he ever came within a ten mile radius of Winter, much less lay his filthy hands on her!" Josh screamed, now pacing me back and forth in his arms.

I finally noticed Sequester sitting square in the middle of the coffee table eyeing all of us superiorly. I was tempted to walk over to the ball of fluff and cuddle her to my chest. I broke my arms free of Josh and called to her, "Come here Sequester! Come here girl!" I clapped my hands together to get her attention and was pleasantly surprised when she stood up on the table, stretched luxuriously then jumped from the table into my arms, where I was still pacing against my will. She snuggled her face into my neck, purring contentedly.

I stroked her absentmindedly while I listened to Josh and Samuel's arguing. I wondered in silence about who Mark was. Who belonged to this insignificant name that had Josh all but turning into a mass murderer? I slowly chewed over this new information while I still petted Sequester gently, her purr getting louder.

Suddenly, there were four of us in the room, not just us three. I squealed loudly, dropping Sequester on her furry butt as I took in the fourth person. He was as tall as Josh, long black hair pulled up into a ponytail, wearing jeans and a silk button down shirt. His eyes were a brooding dark blue, the exact opposite of Josh's. He was breathtakingly beautiful, even with the cocky-assed smirk on his face.

"Did I hear my name?" he said in a melodious voice through the second most perfect set of lips I had ever seen.

***hey! Josh is still holding you, dumbass!!*** I screamed at myself, believing that if I gave myself a good mental ass kicking, that I would snap out of my stupor and quit drooling over this irrelevant winged god in front of me.

I forced myself to feel the arms that were wound around me, and breathe in his musky, masculine scent. I felt like I was floating back to earth from a great height. I made myself drop the dumbfounded expression and look irritated at him.

"Yes, unfortunately," Josh sneered in distaste, "your name may have come up. I was just explaining to Sam that you are not allowed to be near **MY** Winter."

Until this moment, Mark's eyes never looked my way once, but once Josh mentioned my name, Mark's gaze flicked to me immediately. His eyes caressed me softly and I almost moaned.

UGH! Girl, get a hold on yourself now dammit!! You act like you have never seen an angel before! Jesus Christ!! Ack! Sorry….

"My, my Joshua, you have been a naughty boy, haven't you?" Mark asked in an amused yet seductive murmur. "She is none of your concern Mark!" Josh said, trying really hard to put his feelings aside and be polite. I could feel his muscles constricting around me like a hungry boa.

Immediately, I understood that I _couldn't_ like Mark. There was a reason why Josh had a prejudice against him; I just needed to talk to someone to find out why.

I noticed that Mark's eyes roamed my body appreciatively, hissing quietly in the back of his throat. My eyes tightened at his inspection. I honestly felt like a bug under a microscope.

Making his mind up, Mark pushed past Samuel, walking up to Josh and myself, reaching out his hand to take my hand. "Let her go Josh, your grip is too tight, you are cutting off her air." He said looking up into Josh's incredulous face. "Mind your own business Mark! I always hold her like this, it's not too tight!" Josh snarled at him, gripping me tighter.

I swear I just heard my back pop.

"If that's the case, comrade, then why are her lips turning blue?" Mark said, grinning from ear to ear.

Immediately, the arms around my middle went slack and I fell to the floor, gasping for air. Josh jumped in front of me, a sick look of horror on his face, "OH! Winter are you okay, love?" The sarcastic remark came from behind him, "Of course she is! Humans go without oxygen all the time and they are fine! You know, they are on the evolutionary line just above dirt! They can go indefinitely without air." Mark rolled his eyes behind Josh's back and I could feel myself getting pissed at Mark's shitty attitude.

Freakin' hell! What was wrong with him? Did he have a death wish?

Josh stood and whirled around, standing nose to nose with Mark. His arms were bowed out like he was about to throw a punch, making himself look much bigger than what he is.

"Oh, yes, let's do this!" Mark said, obviously itching for a fight. He cracked his knuckles loudly and twisted his head from side to side cracking his neck.

God! How I wished he's just snap it and save Josh the trouble.

Josh shoved me back and lunged at Mark, aiming for his chest. I shut my eyes and screamed my most glass shattering scream. I expected to hear the punches, kicks and hits that were surely following Josh's attack, but none ever came.

I opened my eyes cautiously, just a little bit at first, then more completely to the amusing scene before me.

Mark was lying on the thick carpet with Josh's hands violently twisted in his shirt. Mark's neck was craned around Josh's side so that he could fully gape at me. Josh's face was twisted around looking at me in amazement. My eyes flitted around the room, searching frantically for Samuel, who was embedded into the far wall, a look of astonishment on his face.

Samuel shoved himself out of the human shaped hole, dusting himself off, obviously irritated. "Well, witch, that was quite impressive." I bowed my head, slightly ashamed that Samuel was mad at me, "Yeah, sorry about that. I didn't mean for that to happen." I started to apologize profusely but a sharp look from Josh cut me off.

"Let's discuss why that happened." Sam said with a huge grin on his face, "Did you manifest that yourself, or are you having some…um…issues controlling your emotions?"

I thought back to that split second in time, carefully re-evaluating the whole scene as it played out: One moment, my sole focus had been getting air into my lungs, then next Josh and Mark were standing nose-to-nose getting ready to have some super angel showdown. Upon closer inspection, I looked at the scene in my mind, searching for Samuel. He was standing a few feet away with a smug smirk on his face; he seemed to want the fight to happen. I had done the only thing that I could do under the circumstances to stop the fight, since Samuel would have been no help, I screamed at the top of my lungs. I screamed out of fear that Josh would get hurt in the fight, but mostly I screamed out of the burning rage that pumped through my veins. The memory alone made me so angry that I screamed again.

I had not noticed that my eyes were clinched tightly until I realized that I needed to open them. I opened them, my brows pointed downward in the center. I was still very upset that Samuel was just going to let them beat each other senseless. That mood passed very quickly as I saw that Samuel was now imbedded in a second Samuel shaped hole in the wall, almost holding hands with the first hole.

He looked pissed and I couldn't stop the hysterical giggle that burst from my lips. Mark rolled his eyes from the carpet and Josh snickered.

"How dare you?!" I howled at Samuel, who was pulling himself out of the wall **again**. He looked at me smugly, "I did nothing Winter; you shouldn't be pointing fingers at anyone." "**Exactly!**" I yelled, my temper flaring now, as I ran over to him, stabbing my finger at him, "You stood by and did **nothing** while those two could have killed each other! What kind of angel are you?" I was standing nose to nose with him now; I had to stand on my toes to reach his face but didn't care how ridiculous it looked.

"I don't have to amend my actions to you, little girl." He replied, then turned on his heel and walked out of the room via the second hole in the wall. I rocked back on my heels. Turning to look at Josh and Mark, still laying on the floor astounded at what had transpired, a loud voice boomed throughout the apartment. "I will be back tomorrow to begin the separation. Use your time wisely, fornicators!"

You could almost feel the lack of his presence in the apartment just then. It was like some formidable air was just sucked from the room; I was instantly able to breathe easier.

**I get another night with Josh!**

My mind swam with the knowledge that he was going to be mine for another night before my purgatory started. I was ecstatic. I almost could feel a charge on my skin, inflaming my skin with heat. At the same time, I was furious! Why can't we just start this, that way we can be together so much sooner?? Is Samuel **trying** to drive me insane?

"Is he really going to separate us?" I asked Josh, tears starting to form. I felt so stupid crying again. "Yes, he wasn't bluffing about that, love." Josh answered me, pulling me into his arms. "Then **why** is he dragging this out Josh?" I wailed, the tears streaming quickly down my face. I know that he didn't find it funny, but he chuckled anyway, "If you haven't noticed Winter, Sam is kind of prone to being overly theatric. I think that in his own way, he is allowing us this one night more so that we can be somewhat indebted to him. Like maybe that it's his way of saying sorry for the separation in general."

I rolled my still leaking eyes and sighed heavily. "It's his fault that we have to be away from each other anyways. Why would he think that I'd be thankful for anything **he** does anyways?" I knew that I sounded like a brooding teenager, but didn't care at all.

I had forgotten that we weren't completely alone until I heard a sound behind me. "So, are you guys gonna discuss **Sam** all day, or are you gonna do something?" Mark was right over my shoulder, looking at Josh. "Why is it of any consequence to you Mark?" Josh retorted cuttingly. "I was going to suggest that we all go to the mall and do some shopping for **your** woman. I seriously doubt that she will be in _any_ shape to want to get out when you leave and although I do understand that she **can** manifest things at her will, I think it would be nicer if you spent money on her. When you leave, then she will have that memory from you."

He talked like this was the most sensible thing that he had ever thought of, even if it was utterly absurd. I didn't need material things from Josh, I just needed Josh. I could feel his muscles tighten as he thought over what Mark had said to him.

"Don't listen to him Josh, I don't need anything that you can _buy in a store_." I laced my voice with enough lust that maybe he would read in it what I **really** wanted to do with our remaining time together.

He pulled away from me, looking into my eyes with heavy lidded eyes, "No, he's right Winter, I should take you out before I leave." He looked over my shoulder at a smirking Mark and quietly thanked him.

"Well, let's get started on this," Mark said cheerfully, "if I'm correct about Samuel's timing, you only have roughly twenty-two hours left to be together." I looked at Mark's smile confusedly. "How do you know that??" I asked him in wonder. "That's my gift. I can tell you, almost perfectly how something is going to play out." He smiled at me again, this time it was almost a superior smile. "You mean like Josh can heal people, you can…see things?" He laughed loudly, "Yeah, I have the gift of sight and prophecy. Josh has the gift of healing. God prepares us all different ways; I guess he figured I'd need to see the future."

Once again, I was left speechless. "Oh." I stated stupidly.

Josh shifted his weight and wrapped his arm around me. "Is there anything you need to do before we go?" He whispered into my ear. "No," I said. "And there's no way I can convince you to stay home?" I asked him quietly. "No, you need this." He said smiling. His smile was infectious; I couldn't help but smile with him. "Okay, then, let's go!" I stated happily, walking with him on one side, Mark on the other.

This was going to be a good day.

**A/N: Forwarning: I only have Chapter 23 and half of 24 before I have to write more…darn, right? The only thing that sucks about that is taking the time to write it. **

**P.S.**** - Check out my other 2 stories, both Twilight fanfics, my personal favorite is The Devil Wouldn't Recognize You….leave me a review there too. I love them.**

**If you review, I'll update more quickly….**


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